Metro to tighten water restrictions
Mangaung plays hardball … Mangaung Metro speaker Mxolisi Siyonzana revealed the at the municipality plans to induce more stringent measures for water usage
Mangaung set to adopt tougher measures after consumers largely ignore plea to use water sparingly
The Mangaung metropolitan Municipality is preparing to roll out a new plan that will impose stricter water restrictions after residents and businesses in the municipality failed to comply with its requests to use water sparingly.
This is according to Mangaung speaker, Mxolisi Siyonzana, who told The Weekly that following the residents seeming refusal or reluctance to be economical on their usage of the water, the metro was consequently in the process of finalising the new restrictions which will also include stricter penalties.
“We’re very much aware that currently, our residents are not playing ball and that is huge concern because we can’t achieve the set-out percentage of water required of us.”
“We’re near to finalise how these restrictions are going to be implemented in the city,”
Last month, consumers were requested by the municipality to use water cautiously for it to achieve the target imposed by the national
department of water and sanitation, which requires municipalities to at least achieve 15 percent water restrictions to its consumers to ensure that there is sufficient supply of water, as per government gazette number 37421 dated March 14, 2014.
Mangaung residents and businesses alike are prohibited from using sprinklers, hosepipes or spraying machines to either water their gardens and lawns or even to wash their cars. The filling of swimming pools is also prohibited.
The municipalities advises resident to instead fill buckets to wash their cars, for example, or else face penalties, which are yet to be specified.
On July 3, the municipal council also resolved to embark on a more aggressive water usage campaigns to try and get residents within the metro – which encompasses Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu – to observe the imposition of water restrictions. The dates of the campaigns will be disclosed in due time.
“This is something that has to be done,” Siyonzana said “therefore, community participation is important.”
Although there is not yet a water shortage crises, Siyonzana said the municipality was just merely taking precautionary measure partly because the province was experiencing a drought due to the lack of rain.
