Water Curtailment Begins In eThekwini Municipality

The uMngeni-uThukela Water Board started water curtailment in eThekwini Municipality from Thursday onwards to decrease the amount of water taken from the uMngeni system.

This decision follows a recent announcement by eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba and the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board.

The Department of Water and Sanitation directed the water board to limit water abstraction to their licensed amount of 470 million megaliters per year, which means an 8.4% reduction from the current volume being used.

Xaba said the curtailment aims to ensure there is enough water available, even during times of below-average rainfall.

"The risk of not enforcing the abstraction limit is that should a drought occur, there would not be sufficient water in the system for uMngeni-uThukela Water to continue providing the eThekwini Municipality with a reliable water supply," Xaba said, SA News reported.

Xaba mentioned that the curtailment is expected to last for 12 months. During this time, city teams will monitor the water system and manage high water demand. To ensure residents are not negatively impacted, the city will take the following actions:

• Install restrictors in water meters for all users.
• Reduce pressure in the water distribution network.
• Measure water usage for all unmetered users.
• Improve response times for repairing leaks and pipe bursts by using ward-based plumbers.
• Educate the community about water conservation.
• Disconnect illegal water connections.

The mayor emphasized that water curtailment is different from water shedding, which involves scheduled water cuts at specific times.

He explained that the purpose of water curtailment is to prevent water shedding by gradually reducing the total amount of water used in a controlled way. He also urged eThekwini residents to use water wisely to help lower high-water consumption.

He added, "The demand for water in eThekwini far outstrips supply, and we continue to plead with all stakeholders - both our residential and business customers - to work with us to address this challenge. Some of the contributing factors to the high-water usage include rapid urbanization, and aging infrastructure, which causes water leaks and illegal connections."

The average water consumption in eThekwini is quite high, ranging from 270 to 298 liters per person per day, compared to the international average of 173 liters per person per day.