Taps are running dry in South Africa’s richest province

South Africa’s biggest bulk-water supplier urged customers in the economic hub of Gauteng to reduce their usage to avert a system collapse. 

Storage levels are dropping fast due to “extremely high consumption” in Johannesburg and Tshwane, which includes the capital, Pretoria, Rand Water said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

Daily water usage in the two municipalities has risen about 9% since the start of the year and exceeds licensed quotas, graphics released by Rand Water show.

After more than a week of regular rains early in January, temperatures in the Gauteng province rose and businesses reopened after the holidays, increasing usage. 

South Africa is grappling with a worsening water crisis, mainly caused by decades of underinvestment and poor infrastructure upkeep by municipalities.

Johannesburg Water, the city’s water utility, is reducing pressure on some days to curtail demand, and on Thursday it flagged that supply will be cut off to some neighborhoods for about 40 hours as it does planned maintenance.

The Gauteng division of the High Court in Johannesburg temporarily closed on Thursday due to the ongoing water shortage, according to an emailed statement from the Chief Justice.

A customer notice from Johannesburg Water shows water levels in 30 of its 64 reservoirs are critically low. 

Electricity outages have exacerbated the problem. A power failure at the Emfuleni sub-station on February 11 impacted the Vereeniging water-treatment plant, leading to reservoirs running dry in the area that is home to the continent’s biggest steel mill and other industries, Rand Water said.