WATER shortages have forced the Msunduzi Municipality to cut its water demand by 15%.
If that percentage is not met the municipality might have to resort to water shedding. The municipality aims to achieve the 15% by adopting preventative measures of reducing water pressure, installing restriction washers on water meters and repairing leaks. The directive came from the Department of Water and Sanitation that all municipalities need to reduce their water demand by 15%. In December the Department of Water and Sanitation sent an urgent letter to the Msunduzi municipal manager Mxolisi Nkosi addressing the dire need for water restrictions.“In May 2015, storage levels linked to the large dams in the Mgeni water supply systems, but still above the levels that require water restrictions.
“However, due to the continued low rainfall over the past eight months, the system storage has dropped to a level that now requires intervention. The timing of implementation is critical, and the sooner water restrictions are effective, the smaller the chance of water restrictions needing to be increased in the future. The risk of not implementing effective water restrictions will result in a high probability of depleting the dams thereby putting water users at the risk of water supply failure.’
The Msunduzi Municipality will restrict domestic consumers that use more than 40 kilolitres of water a month by installing restriction washers on their meters. Msunduzi Municipality spokesperson Nqobile Madonda said that the restriction washers will only affect flow rate.
The water pressure will be deduced to 100kPa/10m/1.0bar during peak times between 4am and 10pm daily and further reduced to 50kPa/5m/0,5bar of pressure during off-peak periods between 10pm and 4am daily.
The municipality will also get 100 plumbers to attend to water leaks to prevent water loss.
“We are confronted with a scenario that is life threatening. Very few of us never thought we would ever get to a stage where water will not be readily available. The situation is not as bad as it is in most of our municipalities across the country. Pressure reduction means we need to refrain from using hosepipes. We have to cut our water demand by 15% with immediate effect.
“If there is no co-operation we will have to go to the last or the worst scenario, which is water shedding. It is not a treat or promise but it is a matter of common course. We are moving towards the end of summer, but the amount of water is far less than what we are using. We need to save water so that in winter we will have sufficient water,” said Msunduzi mayor Chris Ndlela during a press briefing at the city hall.
Ndlela urged families to hold meetings on how they can save water.
“We are not dealing with what is within our means, we are dealing with what nature provides us. Water is a precious commodity. The situation is very bad, ladies and gentlemen,” said Ndlela.
He urged the public to report water leaks and illegal water connections by calling the toll-free number 0800 001 868.
If there is no co-operation we will have to go to the last or the worst scenario, which is water shedding