(Bloomberg) — South Africa’s Gauteng province, home to the capital Pretoria and the commercial hub of Johannesburg, is on the brink of a water crisis as water levels drop dramatically due to hot weather.
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The level of water storage in the entire province “has decreased significantly due to excessive water abstraction in municipalities, said the bulk supply company Rand Water Services (Pty) Ltd. in the statement.
The company has expressed concern about the sustainability of the water supply, saying it is operating at full capacity and cannot pump more water into the system.
“The problem we wanted to prevent has come true,” he said, urging the municipalities to take immediate action by fixing the leaking areas, following the municipal laws, and dealing with illegal water connections.
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With the municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni far exceeding the targets set for use, Rand Water has warned that communities may face severe shortages soon if the municipalities do not act. The company said it will not be able to extract more water due to the limitations of its extraction license from the Department of Water and Sewerage.
Like South Africa’s electricity generation and transport networks, the country’s water supply systems have deteriorated due to inadequate maintenance, lack of planning for community growth, mismanagement, corruption and political strife. Johannesburg Water Management Ltd., which distributes water in the city, is losing 44% of its water supply due to leaks and theft.
South Africa, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, is vulnerable to climate change, as extreme weather events such as droughts become more frequent.
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