Residents in the eThekwini municipality will be subjected to water rationing from next week in a bid to guarantee an equitable distribution of water among all residents.
This announcement was made by Mayor Cyril Xaba during a council meeting on Monday, in response to directives from the Water and Sanitation Department.
The rationing is part of a broader initiative by the department that has instructed uMngeni-uThukela Water to cease the unauthorised oversupply of water to the City.
Mayor Xaba, in his report, explained that the municipality had initially requested an extension of the oversupply, but the department denied the request.
As a result, uMngeni-uThukela Water will now reduce its supply to eThekwini by 8.4%.
Currently, the water utility has been supplying the city with 1406 megalitres per day — 118 megalitres more than the authorised 1287 megalitres.
Mayor Xaba attributed this excessive usage to factors such as rapid urbanisation, aging infrastructure, leaks, and illegal connections.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation has imposed water curtailment measures, that will take effect on October 10,” said Mr Xaba.
He said to mitigate the impact on residents, the municipality will implement water rationing in areas with high demand and install water restrictors in consumer meters.
In an effort to address water losses and improve efficiency, the City will focus on metering unmetered consumers, enhancing leak and burst pipe repair times by deploying ward-based plumbers, and disconnecting illegal water connections.
Mayor Xaba urged residents to co-operate with the municipality in conserving water, emphasising the importance of these measures for the future.
“We did everything we could to avoid this situation by requesting a postponement of the curtailment. However, the priority now is to prevent the depletion of water from the source,” he said.
Water and Sanitation head Ednick Msweli, who is also the acting Deputy City Manager, reassured the public that the 8.4% water reduction will be implemented gradually over the course of a year, calling for calm and stating that there is no need for panic.
