Last night, the City of Joburg announced it was implementing level two water restrictions in order to tackle water shortages due to the RandWater reservoir running low on bulk supply.

The water restriction has been effectivley put in place in terms of Section 44(3) of the city’s water restriction bylaw.

The City has been notified by Rand water of further deterioration in bulk water supply this morning^TK

— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) November 9, 2015

It is against this back drop that the City has to invoke section 44(3) of water restriction by-law^TK — City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) November 9, 2015

Previously, level one of the water restriction bylaw had been introduced, meaning the city appealed to residents to use water sparingly as a mitigation measure. But what does level two mean for you as a resident?

According to the City of Joburg and its water affairs entity, Joburg Water, the level two water restriction requires the following from all residents and businesses:

• To use water sparingly between 6am and 6pm every day, particularly by avoiding watering your garden as well as filling bath tubs and swimming pools.
• To not wash your car or pavement with a hosepipe

You’re also urged to report anyone who fails to abide by this bylaw to Joburg Water by calling 011 688 1699 or emailing customerserviceemails@jwater.co.za.

If bulk water supply does not improve, the city will be forced to implement level three of the water restriction bylaw, which would effectively mean “water shedding” will come into play and water will be blocked from all taps at certain times of the day.

The situation is compounded by fact that Gauteng is currently going through a heatwave that’s set to last for the entire week, according to the South African Weather Service.

“In order to avoid level three water restrictions, consumers are urged to fully comply with level two restrictions,” Joburg Water said on Twitter.

Other handy tips include not letting let your taps run unnecessarily, using a bucket to wash your car if you must and trying to reuse water where you can, for example using bath water to water your garden, instead of your hosepipe.

You can follow the @jhbwater and @CityofJoburgZA Twitter accounts for all updates on the water shortage issues in the city.

[Source – Twitter, image – CC Wikimedia Commons]