By JoNews Reporter
RAND WATER, the supplier of bulk water in Gauteng, has called on consumers to use water sparingly as the province goes through a dry spell.
Karl Lubout, manager of water quality marketing at Rand Water, called on consumers to "use water wisely" as water in the Vaal Dam, the main water source of the province, fell to 56 percent of capacity. The dam was 85 percent full this time last year.
At current rates of consumption and without rainfall, Lubout says, water in the Vaal Dam can only last for one year. If the situation remains unchanged, Rand Water might have to tap into the Sterkfontein Dam, which is 98 percent full. "This water can last for some two years," Lubout says. The last back-up system is the Katse Dam, part of the Lesotho Highlands project which is currently 72 percent full.
Tapping into these alternative sources of water though, Lubout warns, is a costly. "It is expensive to pump water from the Tugela River through the Drakensberg Mountains. I'm afraid we have to pass these costs on to the consumers."
Rand Water operates 55 reservoirs in Gauteng. A further 86 reservoirs are owned by Johannesburg Water, the City's water and sanitation utility, which buys bulk water from Rand Water.
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