Johannesburg, South Africa’s water suppliers have urgently urged city dwellers and suburban towns to cooperate in water resource conservation in the face of an acute shortage.
They issue a warning that inaction might trigger an impending systemic collapse.
On Sunday, Johannesburg Water and Rand Water jointly stated that consumers’ excessive water usage had put an unsustainable strain on the city’s water infrastructure, leading to dangerously low reservoir levels.
These utilities are pushing customers to immediately save water by cutting shower times to just two minutes, only flushing the toilet when absolutely necessary, and only washing their cars on the weekends using buckets.
Residents are also urged to avoid filling pools with water until the crisis of water scarcity has passed, stop from watering gardens and lawns with potable water, and swiftly fix or report any water leaks.
This request comes as Johannesburg continues to experience annual water restrictions, which are normally implemented from September to March, when South Africa experiences its dry season. An alarming shortage in recent weeks has left some people and important facilities like hospitals without access to water, causing widespread displeasure.
