Nelson Mandela Bay continues to use too much water. We are aware of the fact that during the last two weeks, there have been tourists and visitors in the City and this has resulted in additional water demand however, we must continue saving water.

Although we have received rain recently and the average dam levels have gone up to just below 19%, with the relentless drought, the following abstraction restrictions remain in place: 

• Kouga Dam85%
• Churchill Dam70%
• Impofu Dam70%
• Groendal Dam50%
• Nooitgedagt supplyNo restriction 

Average Restriction = 37% (40%) – the lower average restriction is because of the impact of Nooitgedagt Water Treatment Works.

According to the Depart of Water and Sanitation restriction notice, restrictions will only be lifted if the average dam levels reach 65%.

Although the City has put measures in place to limit water disruptions as far as possible, during the last 10 days some water disruptions have occurred. The latter stems from a pipe burst on a bulk supply pipeline to the western areas feeding Sherwood and Lorraine. Due to the interconnectivity of the pipeline, Malabar was also affected. 

These areas are also the most vulnerable areas because of the drought that the City is experiencing. It is also important to remember the Kouga / Loerie dams that are predominantly supplying the major supply reservoirs have an 85% restriction imposed on their supply. Therefore, these areas will remain at risk for the duration of the drought and the only immediate intervention is for everyone to reduce their water consumption to an average of 40%. When we use too much water, reservoirs run dry as we cannot supply water in the volumes consumed. This affects the high-lying areas first, and often takes a couple of days for reservoirs to be replenished.  

January to March is generally the hottest and driest period in the City and the dam catchment areas, therefore reducing water consumption to essential use is extremely critical. This position has also been confirmed by the South African Weather Services in terms of the weather predictions for the region.

Reducing water demand is not difficult, it only requires some effort at individual, household and business levels. Compared to the threat of not having running water or working toilets, it is certainly a minor inconvenience. Here are some tips to slash your water use. We will continue to run our communications campaign but need your help to reach every person in the Metro.

How to use less water as an individual (target usage = 50 litres per person per day direct use):

• Don’t bath. Have a 2-minute shower instead;
• Catch your shower water in a bucket and use this to flush the toilet, and don’t flush the loo unless really necessary, and use grey/recycled water where possible;
• Don’t ever leave the tap running unless absolutely critical;
• Talk about what you’re doing to save water and share on social media, report water leaks, etc.
• How to use less water as a household (target usage in kl/month = number of people x 50 litres x 30 days):
• Read your meter daily to see how much water you use and find leaks as soon as they occur;
• Reduce your water pressure by partially closing the tap at your meter;
• Don’t water your garden, wash your car, or spray down hard surfaces, cover your pool and don’t fill it with potable municipal water;
• Put a brick or a plastic bottle filled with water in your cistern, install low-flow showerheads and tap aerators;
• Remember to close all taps after water outages;
• At 50 litres per day, each person should add no more than 1.5 kilolitres to the monthly bill. So multiply 1.5 by the number of people in your household to see how much your bill should be. For example, if 4 people live in your house, your water bill should reflect consumption of no more than 6.0 kl/month:
• How to use less water as a business (target usage = 20% reduction in demand):
• Know what your historical and current consumption is so that you can make sure you meet your target reduction of 20%.
• Read your meter regularly and check your premises for underground leaks;
• Review all your processes which use water;
• Print your own signage (use city templates if you want to) and educate your visitors and staff to save water at work and at home;
• Provide hand sanitiser in bathrooms instead of soap, and install aerators in taps, etc.

Report Water Leaks in one of three ways: 

• Call Centre:0800 20 5050
• Emailwaterleaks@mandelametro.gov.za
• Smart phoneDownload NMBM App and log an incident.

For further communication material, see: Water saving booklet

Issued by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Communications.