The eThekwini Municipality has launched a dashboard that will enable people to use water wisely. The water dashboard will enable residents, businesses, and relevant stakeholders to get a common understanding of the state of the water system. It was launched on Friday December 6.
The dashboard is expected to provide reliable and up-to-date information to allow water users to make informed decisions about their personal water use, said eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana. She added that people would be kept updated on government’s interventions to improve water security.
“Currently, the dashboard is hosted on the website of the Department of Water and Sanitation and is linked to eThekwini Municipality’s website,” said Ms Sisilana.
“This is an initiative of the Platform for Water Secure eThekwini Working Group which was established by the Department of Water and Sanitation in collaboration with municipalities that are experiencing water shortages. It is supported by the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG) at the World Bank.”
The water dashboard is aimed at helping residents keep track of water shortages and repairs in their areas.
The demand for water in eThekwini exceeds available supply and interventions to augment water supply, including the construction of the uMkhomazi Dam and reducing non-revenue water, are under way, said Ms Sisilana.
As part of proactive measures to avert water insecurity, water curtailment has been implemented throughout eThekwini Municipality.
The curtailment was implemented at the directive of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) who issued a notice to uMngeni-uThukela Water Board to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the uMngeni system to their licensed volumes.
“The city is also implementing initiatives to reduce non-revenue water by attending to leaks, dealing with illegal connections, and prioritising the upgrading of water infrastructure,” said Ms Sisilana.
“However, the water challenge cannot be resolved by government alone. Residents and businesses are urged to play a key role in implementing water saving initiatives on their properties.”
The dashboard will be released monthly for the moment, and the aim is to improve it over time. Feedbackcan be sent to [email protected]
To access the dashboard, click here or here.
