05 Oct 2022 | 09:24 AM UTC
South Africa: Water utility implements stage-2 water restrictions in parts of Gauteng Province effective Oct. 4
Water utility implements stage-2 water restrictions in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni, South Africa, effective Oct. 4.
Event
Gauteng's water utility Rand Water announced it is raising water restrictions to stage 2, Oct. 4. Stage 2 implies a 30 percent reduction in consumption. The utility cited the ongoing heatwave and increased consumption as an explanation for the significantly lower water reserves. Storage has declined from 58 to 38 percent in two weeks. The objective is to restore reservoir capacity above 60 percent. It is yet unknown when that threshold will be achieved.
In Pretoria, the municipality has forbidden the following:
the watering and irrigation of gardens
the cleaning of driveways and patios
the cleaning of vehicles with hosepipes
the filling of swimming pools
The Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni municipalities have not issued further restrictions.
The water outages may lead to business disruptions, particularly for companies that rely on large quantities of municipal water to maintain operations.
Advice
Conserve water if supply is available. Stockpile water and use only bottled water from reputable suppliers for drinking and hygienic purposes.
