(Bloomberg) — South Africa’s Gauteng province, home to the capital Pretoria and commercial hub of Johannesburg, is on the brink of a water crisis as reservoir levels fall to critical lows amid persistent heat waves.
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Storage levels across the province have “decreased significantly due to excessive water withdrawals by municipalities”, according to bulk supplier Rand Water Services (Pty) Ltd. in a statement.
The company expressed concerns about the sustainability of the water supply, saying it is operating at full capacity and cannot pump additional water into the system.
“The crisis we tried to prevent has now become a reality,” said the report, which calls on municipalities to take immediate action by repairing leaks, enforcing ordinances and tackling illegal water connections.
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With the municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni well exceeding consumption targets, Rand Water warned that communities could soon face serious shortages if municipalities do not act. The utility said it cannot extract more water due to restrictions in the extraction permit from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation.
Like South Africa’s power stations and transport networks, the country’s water supply systems have deteriorated due to inadequate maintenance, lack of planning for population growth, mismanagement, corruption and political infighting. Johannesburg Water Management Ltd., which distributes water in the city, loses 44% of its supplied volume due to leaks and theft.
South Africa, one of the most water insecure countries in the world, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with extreme weather events such as droughts becoming increasingly common.
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