Resident in Atteridgeville have been hit by water outages as the City of Tshwane is struggling to keep up with high consumption demands.
City spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the reservoir supplying water in Atteridgeville and immediate areas remained empty owing to high consumption by residents.
“The reservoir is struggling to build up as water that is pumped in the storage facility gets consumed at a much higher rate than what the system can supply. Basically, what goes into the reservoir immediately gets out,”he said.
He warned that if residents won’t change their consumption pattern the water outage will persist for a prolonged period.
“The City of Tshwane wishes to reiterate its plea to the residents of Atteridgeville and nearby areas to continue using water sparingly,”he said.
The Pretoria West HL reservior, on the other hand, has reached a satisfactory level of supply.
Bokaba said the city's technicians are inspecting the network with a view to restoring water supply to the affected areas.
“Residents are thus encouraged to use water sparingly. With the spring season upon us, residents and the business community in the jurisdiction of the City of Tshwane are reminded to continue with their efforts to conserve water. This period is typically associated with increased water consumption, which puts a strain on the water supply system,”he said.
Residents have been urged to assist in conserving and using water sparingly by, for example, not watering gardens, washing cars and not cleaning driveways or pavements using hosepipes.
The City said customers should also desist from filling swimming pools and flush toilets only when necessary. “Close a running tap while brushing teeth. Reduce daily water usage as much as possible,” it said.
Bokaba said by adhering to water saving hints, the city and its residents can contribute immensely to water conservation and safeguard water levels from deteriorating.
“The city is once more urging those residents who still have access to water, to use water sparingly and refrain from filling their storage tanks to allow the system to stabilise. The city apologises to the affected customers for the inconvenience caused,” he said.
Pretoria News
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za