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Demand for water in the eThekwini Metro is outstripping supply, by far
The uMngeni-uThukela Water Board has implemented water curtailment throughout eThekwini Municipality, as the demand for water in the area exceeds supply capacity.
The directive came into effective from yesterday (Thursday, 10 October). It is meant to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the uMngeni system and should be in place for a year.
This follows a recent announcement made jointly by eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba and the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board.
Water curtailment is being implemented at the directive of the Department of Water and Sanitation, which issued a notice to uMngeni-uThukela Water Board to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the uMngeni system to their licensed volumes of 470 million megalitres per annum (m3/annum), meaning a reduction on the current sales and abstraction volume of 8.4%.
The average water consumption in eThekwini is very high, as it is between 270 and 298 litres per capita (person) per day (l/c/d), compared to the international average of 173 l/c/d.
Curtailment to combat high water usage
Xaba said the curtailment is meant to enable continued water availability, including during periods of below-average rainfall.
“The risk of not enforcing the abstraction limit is that should a drought occur, there would not be sufficient water in the system for uMngeni-uThukela Water to continue providing the eThekwini Municipality with a reliable water supply,” Xaba said.
Xaba emphasised that the water curtailment is not water shedding, where there is a schedule for water cuts at certain times.
“The purpose of the water curtailment is to avoid water shedding by bringing down the total volume used in a controlled manner,” Xaba said.
Xaba reiterated his call to eThekwini residents to use water sparingly to assist in reducing high water consumption.
“The demand for water in eThekwini far outstrips supply, and we continue to plead with all stakeholders – both our residential and business customers – to work with us to address this challenge. Some of the contributing factors to the high-water usage include rapid urbanisation, and aging infrastructure, which causes water leaks and illegal connections,” Xaba said.
Managing the water supply
The average water consumption in eThekwini is very high, as it is between 270 and 298 litres per capita (person) per day (l/c/d), compared to the international average of 173 l/c/d.
The municipality said some of the contributing factors to the high-water usage include rapid urbanisation, ageing infrastructure which causes water leaks and illegal connections.
The city’s teams will monitor the system and manage excessive water demand during the curtailment period.
The city will be implementing the following interventions
Installation of restrictors in water meters to all consumers.
Pressure reduction in the reticulation network.
Metering all unmetered consumers.
Improving turnaround time in repairing leaks and pipe bursts through deployment of ward-based plumbers.
Community education in water conservation.
Disconnection of illegal connections. |
