Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has raised concerns about water consumption in Gauteng.
According to Mchunu, Gauteng residents consume up to 300 liters of water per person per day – a far cry from the world average of 173 litres.
Mchunu disclosed this in an interview with Newsroom Africa on Tuesday evening.
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He said that while the department is dealing with water scarcity in the country, water consumption should also be checked.
Water infrastructure
Mchunu is more concerned about the provision of infrastructure, saying that if the national department, Rand Water and municipalities upgrade the infrastructure, especially water storage and also seal leaks, which is about 20-25% in Gauteng, “we will be able to provide reliable water and from there we can address other efficiencies including water quality including covering everyone”.
“But there is another obstacle that we pointed out which is the situation where the government in the housing sector has not developed a system to provide people with the right conditions of the site, except in the established townships,” said Mchunu.
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“Informal settlements are growing every day without a message or plan. Even if we reach a higher level of efficiency, in terms of providing water as we are doing with the type of investment that Rand Water is making in the next two years, we are only dealing with changing targets and we will not can. to catch the deficit.
“The municipality agrees that it needs to achieve higher efficiency by sealing leaks, providing water and making sure people see their cries heard.”
Rand Water Investment
According to Mchunu, Rand Water will invest R28 billion in the construction of reservoirs in Gauteng by 2028.
“This has contributed to increasing the number of reservoirs in Gauteng from 62 to 72, which is quite commendable when you consider that these are the only Rand Water reservoirs. The municipality is also building itself so that water storage throughout Gauteng increases. It has already started, the process has already started and will be able to provide more of 7000 mega liters per day.
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Mchunu urged residents to use water sparingly, saying just because a dam is filled does not mean water should be wasted.