Pretoria – The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has announced that it has started with water restrictions in some municipalities in the province.
The department said the mandatory water interruption is due to dam levels reaching critically low levels. The iLembe District and eThekwini Metro are the regions most impacted by the water rationing.
“Water rationing is a level 4 water restriction measure - the highest. It has commenced at 30% restriction and depending on the dam levels, it will be incrementally moved to 50% restriction.
“Umgeni Water, which is the bulk supplier for iLembe and eThekwini is implementing a 30% reduction in potable water production at its Hazelmere Waterworks,” the department said.
Before the onset of the drought, Umgeni Water was producing 40 million litres of drinking water at its Hazelmere Waterworks. The production has since been reduced to 28 million litres per day.
The potable water produced will be allocated to the three Water Services Authorities, including eThekwini, iLembe and Semcorp Siza Water on the following basis:
- eThekwini Water and Sanitation will receive 9.8 Ml/d, prior to the proposed restrictions it received 14 Ml/d
- iLembe district municipality will recieve 8.6 Ml/d, prior to the restrictions it received 12.3 Ml/d
- Semcorp Siza Water will reciev 9.6 Ml/d, prior to the restrictions it received 13.7 Ml/d
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube emphasised that the current drought crisis required all citizens of the province to play their part in conserving water.
Province on red-code
She warned the province is on the “red-code” in as far as water is concerned and drastic interventions are being undertaken to manage the drought crisis.
“We need to save every drop because as of now every drop of water counts. The effects of climate change are with us, as evidenced by the below average rainfall received during the summer season which has left a number of dams almost dry,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
MEC Dube-Ncube added that they have plans in place to ensure no resident goes without water when the taps begin to run dry.
As part of the province’s plans, teams will be moving between affected areas to monitor water usage.
“Water efficiency and water use educational programmes must be rolled out intensively. We thank all those who have made lifestyle changes to reduce water consumption.
“We all need to play our part during this difficult period by adhering to the water restrictions. Households and businesses are encouraged to implement various measures which include the re-use of water,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
To check the Water Rationing for eThekwini Municipality, residents can log on at the municipality’s website www.durban.gov.za, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs www.kzncogta.gov.za or go to the department’s facebook page.
The public can save water by:
- Fixing leaking taps or reporting them to local authorities immediately. A dripping tap (one drop per second) wastes up to 30 litres of water an hour.
- If you take a bath do not fill up the bath tub or preferably take a five minute shower.
- Closing the tap when brushing your teeth or using water from a cup.
- Closing the tap when shaving.
- Do not rinse glasses and cutlery under running water. Fill a basin and rinse in it.
- Avoid washing vegetables under running water. Use a bowl to do this; re-use the water for instance in the garden.
- To check if you have toilet leaks, put a few drops of food dye in your cistern. If the colour slips into your bowl, you have a leak. A leaking toilet can waste up to 30 litres of water per hour.
- Hosepipe usage is prohibited during this period. Wash your car using two buckets of water. This can save up to 300 litres each time you wash your car.
- Wash your car on the grass as this will water your lawn at the same time.
- Teach children not to waste water and engage them in water saving exercising, e.g. teaching them how to read a meter.
- Only water your garden with grey water before 10.00am and after 4:00pm in the evening. Watering while the sun is high wastes water as most of it gets evaporated into the air with the heat of the sun.
- Avoid watering on windy days as the water easily evaporates.
- Make use of “grey water”. This is the water from your kitchen and bathroom that can be reused in the garden.
- Collect rain-water for irrigation from the roof in tanks or containers placed under roof gutters.
– SAnews.gov.za
