The internal medicine department at the Helen Joseph Hospital, which includes pulmonology, has nearly 300 patients, including COVID-19 patients, and said that it was unable to wash patients or give them drinking water.
Washing hands requires clean water, yet more than 2 billion people globally lack access to it, according to the UN.
The Ngwathe municipality in the Free State, the Govan Mbeki municipality in Mpumalanga and Madibeng in the North West have racked up a collective bill of more than R300 million.
A power failure at Rand Water's Vereeniging and Suikerbos treatment plants last week resulted in several reservoirs in the city running dry.
The projects forecast of the scarcity of water across the world by 2040.
Water tankers have been sent to various areas to ensure that taps don't run dry in parts of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni after Rand Water imposed water restrictions.
Unless African cities improve water management, many will face severe water problems by 2035.
Water expert Professor Anthony Turton has warned that Gauteng is at risk of a water shortage if proactive measures are not put in place.
New technologies, financing mechanisms, delivery models, voluntary standards and policy and regulatory innovations will be required to address the growing gap.
Not only is South Africa failing to meet the new set of goals set by the UN for 2030. It’s actually going backwards.
The city has started reducing pressure in its systems to control the consumption rate in some areas.
Nearly 5,000 people in the Little Karoo town of De Rust are without running water after the water supply was contaminated.
Earlier this month, the utility enforced restrictions in a bid to encourage residents to use water sparingly.
The government has warned that the drought gripping SA is likely to continue through the spring season.
Des van Rooyen says the long range forecast shows below normal rainfall, meaning ’little relief’ is expected.
The NGO announced it will be delivering water to affected areas in the North West province.
While a supply issue was resolved, Houghton and surrounding areas are now affected by a burst pipe.
The Water and Sanitation Department says water wastage can no longer be tolerated.
