Water consumption in Gauteng has become unsustainable

South Africa, already a water-scarce country, is experiencing water stress due to a combination of high temperatures and very low rainfall, exacerbated by an uptick in consumption.

Since the beginning of September, Rand Water – which supplies water to Gauteng and parts of the North West, Free State and Mpumalanga – has seen an increase in the amount of water being used.

Water consumption “shot up” to an average of 5 000 megalitres per day compared with the normal average of around 4 400 megalitres. 

Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, speaking on Monday at a joint press briefing on water challenges organised by the Department of Water and Sanitation, provided some perspective: “If you were to take those 5 000 megalitres of water per day and you broke it down to the number of consumers we supply, on average, consumption will be close to 320 litres per person per day,” he said.

This is against the backdrop of the global water consumption average of 170 litres per person per day. 

This means South Africans in the Rand Water consumption area use 53% more water than the global average.

Even when non-revenue water and possible losses are taken into account, the number still remains above 300, said Mosai.

Read: Forget the impending Lesotho water crisis …

No need to panic

The department will release its national water and sanitation master plan in November, outlining restrictions and specific measures about how government aims to ensure water security and avoid (a national) Day Zero.

For now, there is no need to panic, said Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

“The situation is very serious, however, it is not one that calls for panic [because] it is under control.”

Sisulu explained that Rand Water had to institute water restrictions, not because there isn’t sufficient water but due to overconsumption of water, saying that areas like Limpopo and the Eastern Cape had also been affected by restrictions.

‘Water shedding’

She urged consumers to use water sparingly to avoid water shedding, where supply will be intermittently cut or lowered to reduce consumption. 

Mosai said the country is at a point where citizens should only be using water for basic consumption, such as cooking and drinking.

This means people should not be using sprinkler systems to water their gardens, topping up the water levels in pools or taking showers longer than three minutes. 

“Every drop counts, and if we count together, for each and every household, we should be fine,” said Mosai. “There is enough water for all of us in the system.”

Read: ‘We live in fear’: Facing dry times, rural South Africans rethink water

He said Rand Water would only consider removing or reducing restrictions once consumption levels go back to the average of 4 400 megalitres per day. 

Sisulu pointed out that next month will be dry, with the earliest forecast for significant rainfall being December.