Pretoria - The City of Tshwane has called on residents to report illegal water connections, leaks and other related matters.
The City has been battling to maintain sufficient water pressure and put in place measures to assist affected areas since Rand Water began experiencing an erratic supply challenge last month.
This has resulted in frustration among residents in the west and north of the city, including Atteridgeville, Laudium, Soshanguve and Mabopane.
MMC For Utility Services and Regional Operation and Co-ordination, Phillip Nel, said that since the main supplier of water in Pretoria was struggling, residents needed to work together to save every drop and help the City prevent waste and illegal water connections.
“We all need to work together to ensure that the limited water the City receives from Rand Water is sufficient for all residents. We all need to be water wise and do what we can to save water.
“Reservoir levels across Pretoria have dropped severely over the past week, with some reservoirs reaching critically low levels.
“Spring and summer normally come with increased water consumption due to the heat, but this challenge has been exacerbated by the bulk supply challenges from the Rand Water board.”
Reservoirs that dropped were in areas like Mooikloof, Constantia Reservoir and Tower, Mamelodi, Laudium, Soshanguve Block L and DD, Mabopane, Atteridgeville, Magalies, Mnandi and the Grootfontein Reservoir and Tower.
However, by the end of last week some reservoirs saw positive changes and recovered to healthy levels. These included Mooikloof with 63%, Constantia Reservoir with 37%, Constantia Tower, 77%, Mamelodi, 39%, Laudium, 77%, Soshanguve Block L with 14%, and Soshanguve Block DD with 5%. Mabopane improved by 19%, Atteridgeville 25%, Magalies 54%, Mnandi 54%, and Grootfontein Reservoir and Grootfontein Tower by 41% and 71% respectively.
“The Soshanguve and Mabopane reservoirs are still critical, and investigations are continuing to normalise the levels.
“While the rest of the system is currently relatively healthy, the sustainability of these reservoir levels rests on getting sufficient volumes at the right pressure from Rand Water. While technical solutions are being worked on, the City of Tshwane appeals to all residents to use water sparingly to prevent a situation where some areas will be without water.
“If residents do not adhere to these measures, the City has to implement stringent restrictions across the entire distribution network to curb the demand and to ensure constant reservoir levels.
“Water conservation simply means using our limited water wisely and caring for it properly. Water is not a limitless resource," said Nel.
He encouraged residents to refrain from watering or irrigating gardens with hosepipes or sprinkler systems between 6am and 8pm, washing vehicles with hosepipes and filling up their swimming pools.
Pretoria News