Rand Water says Gauteng municipalities' consumption above the threshold of its licence
Rand Water has a permanent license from the National Department of Water to collect 1,600 million cubic meters of water from the integrated Vaal River system.
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JOHANNESBURG - Bulk water supplier Rand Water says high consumption by Gauteng municipalities has resulted in it collecting water above the threshold of its license.
Rand Water has a permanent license from the National Department of Water to collect 1,600 million cubic meters of water from the integrated Vaal River system.
The utility made a presentation on Tuesday before the Gauteng councillor's imbizo at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
About 77% of the raw water supplied by Rand Water goes to the three Gauteng metros.
Demands from the metros have exceeded what Rand Water can provide.
Rand Water's Chief Operating Officer Mahlomola Mehlo says the utility's permanent license allows it to abstract 1,600 million cubic meters per year from Vaal but it is currently abstracting over 1,800 million cubic meters.
"That in itself says we need to move our permanent license from 1,600 to 1,800. However, we know the Lesotho phase 2 project has been delayed and we are still anticipating there will be some acceleration that takes place there. The department has done a responsible thing and said - until you have dealt with those leaks and losses - please don't come back to us and ask for more water. As it were Rand Water has got no more water to abstract and purify, that's it. We have reached the ceiling in terms of the license and what the catchment can provide."
Rand Water does have a temporary license that allows it to extract up to 1,800 million cubic meters per year, however, it expires next year.
The City of Joburg has been singled out by Rand Water for being the biggest culprit of over-consumption of water.
The country's most populated city accounts for more than a third of all bulk potable water supplied by the utility.
The utility's Chief Operating Officer Mahlomula Mehlo says Rand Water will eventually be forced to implement strict restrictions on its biggest consumers.
"If the department (of water and sanitation) were to be very strict and say Rand Water you need to abstract within that license, tomorrow we would need the City of Johannesburg to reduce their consumption by 445 million litres a day."
Mehlo says a big contributor to Johannesburg's high consumption is non-revenue water lost due to leaks and illegal connections.