Municipalities to cut water use by 15 percent

MUNICIPALITIES have been instructed to come up with a plan to reduce water consumption by 15 percent or the entire province could be dry by the end of 2016.

KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said there was no other option and that the agricultural sector would also have to reduce water use by 50 percent.

The levels of most dams in the Umgeni Water system were extremely low, threatening the eThekwini, Msunduzi, uMgungundlovu, and Ugu municipalities.

There was also concern about the below-average rainfall in the Midmar and Albert Falls catchment areas.

MEC Dube-Ncube said if water savings were achieved now, there was a chance that the water in the dams could last until the next rains.