Water supply interruptions in Nelson Mandela metro unavoidable

Residents in the western and southern parts of the city are likely to experience intermittent water supply owing to the high water consumption rate, currently at 270 Ml/d, 40 Ml/d over the 230 Ml/d target, and the National Department extraction restrictions.

NMBM senior director of water and sanitation, Barry Martin, says, “Currently the metro can only extract 30 megalitres from the Churchill and Impofu dams, in line with the DWS water restrictions.

“This will lead to a shortage of water in the western and southern areas as the city will not be able to keep pace with the current high demand.

“The metro is not extracting any water from the Impofu Dam, due to the relocation of the barge to a deeper point within the dam.

“Work is underway in this regard and is expected to be completed by July 29. However, the Impofu barge will only be commissioned in the event that the Churchill dam gets depleted; this is because the combined 30 Ml/d allocation from the system includes both dams.”

The warning issued by the metro means residents in the areas listed may experience water outages or low water pressure for a significant period until demand drops.

Residents in all areas of the metro are urged to reduce consumption to less than 50 litres per day per person and avoid stockpiling of water.

Alternative supply in affected areas will be provided through water tankers where possible.

For details on location of these water tankers, residents are urged to visit the metro’s social media platforms.

– ISSUED BY NMBM WATER CRISIS JOC SPOKESPERSON, LUVUYO BANGAZI