Act quickly or Gauteng taps will run dry, warns Rand Water

Gauteng is officially experiencing a water crisis, water storage levels are critical and if consumers don’t quickly implement water saving measures the province is in danger of depleted reservoirs and dry taps. 

Rand Water has issued an alert, claiming that repeated meetings and communications with municipalities across the province — urging them to communicate the possibility of a water crisis — have gone unheeded. 

In a strongly worded statement, the bulk water utility implored municipalities to urgently fix all leaks, improve their management, take swift action to police usage and crack down on water theft. 

“It is essential to act now to prevent an impending disaster. Rand Water emphasises that it is at full operating capacity and cannot pump additional water into the system. Due to the limitations imposed by the organisation’s extraction licence from the department of water & sanitation, Rand Water cannot extract more water from existing sources. The only solution to address this situation is through water conservation and demand management,” Rand Water said. 

The utility has now instructed municipalities to reduce 33% of physical water losses, repair leaks identified in their No Drop report and enforce bylaws and urgently address illegal connections. 

It has also appealed to consumers to report water shortages immediately to their municipality because though it is the bulk supplier, it is unable to manage supplies within municipal boundaries. 

Rand Water emphasised the need for fast and extreme action, particularly in light of the ongoing heatwave and expected increase in demand. 

“Rand Water is left with no option but to take steps to protect its system from total collapse,” it said. 

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