South Africa’s Commercial Hub May Face Water Curbs, News24 Says
(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s Gauteng province, the nation’s commercial hub, may face water restrictions next year because the bulk supplier has been drawing down more resources than it’s allowed, News24 reported, citing a report by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
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Rand Water Services Ltd. currently extracts 5.2 billion litres of water daily, surpassing its licensed allowance of 4.38 billion litres, the Cape Town-based news website said. The department warned the company that if it continued to take more out water out of the the Integrated Vaal System than it’s allowed, curbs will need to be imposed, News24 said.
The situation may be exacerbated by a six-month maintenance shutdown of the Lesotho Highlands Tunnel in October, which is expected to place further strain on water supplies to Gauteng and other provinces.
Rand Water serves municipalities in Gauteng, including Johannesburg, the capital, Pretoria, and the industrial hub of Ekurhuleni, which are responsible for distributing water to residents. The municipalities are facing severe infrastructure challenges, losing as much as 46% of the water supplied by Rand Water because of leaks, theft, or inefficient systems, the news website said.
Municipalities in Gauteng this week implemented Level 1 water restrictions until March 2025, Rand Water spokeswoman Makenosi Maroo told Newzroom Afrika on Sept. 16.
--With assistance from Rene Vollgraaff and Ana Monteiro.
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