More water restrictions despite rain
The City of Johannesburg has confirmed that they are not in a position to lift the current water restrictions in the city, despite the recent spate of rain.
According to a statement by city officials, water storage in the Integrated Vaal River System has recovered marginally from 49% to 52%, while the Vaal dam itself is up from 27% to 37%.
This is mainly being attributed to releases from the Sterkfontein Dam as opposed to rain in the catchment area.
"Johannesburg has had some good rains over the last month, however we are not yet in a position to lift the Level 2 water restrictions. We call on our residents to continue doing everything possible to conserve water and cut back on their usage during these challenging times," a statement by the City of Joburg read.
The Department of Water Affairs will wait until the system recovers substantially before lifting the water restrictions.
These restrictions include: no irrigation or sprinkler systems at any time unless borehole supplied; only hand held garden watering before 06h00 and after 18h00; and no watering of paved surfaces. In addition there is a surcharge on the tariff for higher water users.
"So far over 500 households have been fined for transgressing these restrictions," the statement confirmed.
Some areas are subject to water shedding between 20:00 and 4:00 to allow reservoirs to retain their levels.
The affected areas are:
- Doornkop
- Thulani
- Tshepisong
- Diepkloof
- Lenasia and surrounding areas
- Midrand
- President Park
- Rabie Ridge
- Cosmo City