Despite the current weather conditions, Johannesburg residents have been urged to manage their water usage under the current level one water restrictions which have been in effect since March 2017.

This is according to Joburg Environment and Infrastructure Services MMC Nico de Jager. Speaking to Dan Moyane on eNCA’s morning news, de Jager said: “It is not that we have a shortage in capacity coming, as much as it is in the way that we are using water. So our residents need to become more responsible with the way that they use water.”

MMC de Jager confirmed that the city has reduced water pressure in areas such as Midrand.

“Level one means that we require out residents to not use a hosepipe to wash down a paved area and that we also not use hosepipes to water gardens between 6am and 6pm in the summer months,” said de Jager.

The city has not placed restrictions on things such as car washes as yet but has advised that should you wash your car yourself, to do so on your lawn.

“Swimming pools are probably one of the biggest headaches because they take so much water and we can’t stop people from filling their swimming pools but what we do request people to do is that at times when people do work on the swimming pools and especially during the winter months, is be putting that water back into a storage facility so it can be used again,” added de Jager.

He did not identify who the biggest culprits are when it comes to over-usage but urged all sectors to work together to ensure less water usage. Adding that the city was doing what it could to keep up with infrastructure development even though the city has a R12 billion backlog with regards to water infrastructure development.

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