Water utility Rand Water is reducing water supply to high-consuming metropolitans as demand is stretching its system.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Rand Water said that water consumption remains persistently high in Gauteng, particularly in the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane.

The above normal consumption, which is exceeding the allocated volumes, continues to place significant strain on the overall water supply network.

Last week, Rand Water noted a reduction in water use across Gauteng’s metropolitans after a surge in demand in the prior week; however, the cities are still consuming more than the aggregate withdrawal limit of 3 045-million litres of water a day.

The cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane remained above their respective agreed quotas with Rand Water, while the City of Ekurhuleni reduced its consumption to below its allocation.

“Current demand is forcing the system to operate under pressure, stretching infrastructure capacity to accommodate abnormally high use levels. Further, this high consumption has negatively affected water supply in parts of our bulk water supply area,” Rand Water explained.

The utility, after engaging with high water consuming municipalities, will be reducing water supply to these areas to restore water supply in affected areas to stabilise the entire bulk water supply system.

“We urge all customers and consumers to use water sparingly. We strongly encourage all high water consuming municipalities to implement water-saving measures to help reduce demand and protect system stability.”