cape town water discolouration
Residents in the affected areas, spanning from Pelican Park to Eagle Park and beyond, are advised of temporary water discolouration. Image: Pixabay

Home » Rand Water exposes Gauteng’s worst water wasters

Rand Water exposes Gauteng’s worst water wasters

With the water crisis getting worse, Rand Water has released a list of Gauteng’s worst water wasters and implores residents to reduce their usage.

By Ray Leathern
19-03-24 13:10
in Business
cape town water discolouration
Residents in the affected areas, spanning from Pelican Park to Eagle Park and beyond, are advised of temporary water discolouration. Image: Pixabay

As taps threaten to run dry, Gauteng’s worst water wasters have been named and shamed. With the utilities’ bulk water supply sitting below 30%, Gauteng’s worst water wasters must reduce their usage to ‘mitigate against a full-blown crisis’. Following an emergency meeting between Rand Water, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni representatives this weekend, the utility is pointing fingers at Gauteng’s worst water wasters:

GAUTENG’S WORST WATER WASTERS

Graphic: Rand Water

According to TimesLive, Gauteng’s worst water wasters are:

  • Alexandra.
  • Sandton.
  • Jo’Burg CBD.
  • Soweto.

Moreover, the Gauteng water crisis worsened yesterday following the City Power Eikenhof substation tripping due to a lightning strike on Monday (18 March). This impacted Rand Water’s Eikenhof pump station. Furthermore, downstream water systems like Waterval Tower, Linden Tower, Orlando East Reservoir, Honeydew Reservoir, Brixton Reservoir and Hursthill Reservoir were affected, too. A similar event recently led to water outages in Jo’Burg suburbs for upwards of 10 days.

REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION

Gauteng’s worst water wasters
Chlorine treatment and pressure keep the water supply clean and safe. Outages threaten the safety of the water supply. Image: File

The province is asking residents to:

  • Ensure that all taps are closed properly.  
  • To repair any internal leaks promptly.
  • Shorten shower time or opt for a shallow bath.
  • Re-use grey water for flushing toilets, household cleaning and watering plants.

In terms of water safety during the Gauteng water crisis, experts say contaminated water can enter the system during an outage. Therefore, run your taps as a ‘first flush’ of the system until the water is fully clear. Collect this water in a bucket for watering plants or flushing toilets, so it doesn’t go to waste. If you’re still worried, boil the water before drinking.

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