Metro warns of water outages amid high load-shedding levels
"In some areas, should load-shedding continue, water outages may occur. This is highly likely in high-lying areas such as Laudium and Waterkloof Ridge, for example."
The Tshwane metro has warned residents that some areas may be hit by water outages as ongoing load-shedding is wreaking havoc on the city’s infrastructure.
“The metro’s water and sanitation reticulation systems rely on electricity, without which they cannot function,” said MMC for Utilities and Regional Operations Daryl Johnston.
“The reservoirs can accommodate residents in times of short interruptions, but they rely on continuous flows from pump stations to maintain levels.
“With load-shedding happening so frequently, the continuous flow of water is interrupted. This means that reservoirs, which are under significant pressure (such as high-lying reservoirs) may slowly have their water level lowered until they threaten to run dry,” said Johnston.
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Residents should thus be prepared for outages.
He said that the metro has made efforts to ensure water stations can be exempt from load-shedding but this couldn’t be accomplished for each station in the metro.
“This means that in some areas, should load-shedding continue, water outages may occur. This is highly likely in high-lying areas such as Laudium and Waterkloof Ridge for example,” Johnston continued.
Even though stage 6 load-shedding has been reduced at the time of writing, he asked that residents be cautious with their water usage since the city finds itself in the grips of high temperatures during the current summer season and the water demand has thus increased.
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Residents were asked to take shorter showers, delay filling pools, limit the use of water for car washes and buildings as well as avoid any activity that requires high water usage.
“As load-shedding levels rise, we need to work together as residents to limit the risk it poses to us all,” Johnston concluded.
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