Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial center, is contemplating the introduction of stricter water restrictions as it grapples with aging infrastructure and increasing demand.
At present, the city is under level 1 restrictions, which bar residents from watering their gardens and utilizing municipal water for cleaning paved surfaces between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Read: Sarb sounds alarm over poor infrastructure
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In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Logan Munsamy, Johannesburg Water Operations Manager, explained that these restrictions are “not completely effective.” He noted that they are considering escalating the restrictions, potentially to level 2 or beyond, which would bar the use of municipal water for garden irrigation, filling swimming pools, and washing vehicles or cleaning sidewalks with hoses.
The South African government is contending with an intensifying water crisis, primarily stemming from years of insufficient investment and poor maintenance of infrastructure. In October, Rand Water, the largest bulk-water supplier in Africa, warned that Gauteng province — which includes Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria — could experience severe water shortages unless cities swiftly lower their consumption levels.
Read: Johannesburg residents, police clash in riot over lack of water
On Wednesday, residents in Johannesburg’s Westbury area clashed with police amid a water outage. The Democratic Alliance party submitted a memo to Executive Mayor Dada Morero, noting that some households have been without water for as long as 70 days.
South Africa’s central bank has pointed out that the decline of water, transport, and other forms of infrastructure poses a substantial threat to the nation’s financial stability.
Read: The shocking decline of Joburg in 10 short years, in pictures
The deterioration of water infrastructure is aggravating as South Africa slowly recovers from a lengthy energy crisis, during which the national power utility enforced rolling blackouts lasting up to 12 hours a day.
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