The Department of Water and Sanitation has announced that Gauteng residents need to be mindful of their water usage over the next few months.
Gauteng, South Africa – The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) in conjunction with the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority are planning shutdown of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) water transfer and delivery tunnel and associated systems during October and November 2019.
The shutdown has been put in place so that the tunnel system can be inspected and any maintenance work can be done. The process takes place every ten years to ensure the system operates optimally.
The reason this is relevant to South Africans is that during these two months, no water will be sent through to the Vaal River System.
During this period no water will be transferred from LHWP to the Vaal River System. The Ash and Liebenbergsvlei Rivers may thus run low. The Department of Water and Sanitation does, however, have contingency plans in place for the shutdown period.
Water levels are already somewhat strained, so without the assistance of LHWP, things need to be monitored carefully. This is why the Department of Water and Sanitation is urging Gauteng residents to be very careful with their usage.
“The department would like to assure Gauteng residents that contingency measures have been put in place to ensure that water supply continues uninterrupted during this period.”
Just a reminder, that Gauteng still has level 1 water restrictions in place. The level 1 restriction means the following needs to be adhered to daily:
- Watering of gardens is only allowed between 18:00-06:00 (1 September and 31 March); and between 16:00-08:00 (1 April and 31 August).
- All consumers are prohibited from using a hose-pipe to clean paved areas, roofs and driveways with municipal water.
- Sports fields are only allowed to be watered for two hours per day, twice per week. This includes the watering of cricket pitches, golf course greens and bowling greens.
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