Rand Water and City of Tshwane given two weeks to draft plan to resolve water crisis

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo, has given Rand Water and the City of Tshwane two weeks to draft a plan that will ensure water is supplied without interruptions.

WHAT THE PLAN ENTAILS FOR RAND WATER AND CITY OF TSHWANE

Mahlobo wants the two institutions to put together a medium- to long-term plan on how they are going to respond to the peak demand period that is exacerbated by high temperatures, interruptions in storage capacity recovery due to load shedding, non-revenue water, as well as how the city will receive the extra water to be allocated from Rand Water.

Mahlobo gave the directive during a meeting between Rand Water and the City of Tshwane.

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MAHLOBO’S TECHNICAL TEAM PRESENTED WITH A REPORT

During the meeting, the technical team – led by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Provincial Head Justice Maluleke; Rand Water Chief Executive Sipho Mosai and the City of Tshwane’s Group Head for Water and Sanitation Stephens Notoane – presented a report back on progress made on the action plan.

The plan had been presented and committed to by Rand Water and Tshwane, in order to restore water supply in areas that were experiencing challenges, and ensure sustainable and efficient supply in the city.

The meeting reported significant improvements, as water supply has been restored in most areas. However, it noted that some parts of the city, especially in high lying areas, are still grappling with water supply challenges as the system recovers.

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MINISTER URGES THE TWO INSTITUTIONS TO WORK TOGETHER

Mahlobo expressed his appreciation to the city and water utility in how they handled the situation. He urged the two institutions to continue strengthening proactive cooperation and communication for the benefit of the citizens.

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The Deputy Minister also reiterated the city’s call on residents to be considerate when using water, as some reservoirs in the city are experiencing slow recovery due to high water usage by people in low-lying areas.
He further urged the city to include in the plan how they will address the issue of leaks that is contributing to water losses in the distribution system.

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