Rand Water has again cautioned big Metros to reduce water consumption.
This includes Johannesburg Water, the City of Tshwane and the City of Ekurhuleni.
The water Utility says the storage of water is low.
This is the water produced and pumped.
“Of the pumped 4907 Megaliters per day (yellow line on the graph), 4581 reach customers (this is represented by a blue line on the graph).”
The red line shows low storage levels.
“The lower the storage, the bigger the risk of water supply issues.”
Gauteng introduced level 1 water restrictions on the 01st September 2023.
This means Johannesburg Water’s reservoirs are restricted to between 20-45%.
The Integrated Vaal River System’s 14 dams supply water to Gauteng.
Level 1 water restrictions mean customers are prohibited from watering gardens and filling up swimming pools from 6am until 6pm.
Using hose pipes is also prohibited during this time.
Research studies undertaken by the CSIR and Stellenbosch University indicated a bulk of the water in the country heads to industry. Approximately 60% is used for agriculture, 24% for urban and the remainder for rural areas.
These researchers monitored water use for 15 years, between 2000 and 2015. The volumes of water used, include wetlands, grasslands and mines.
Picture: Plastic Free