JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg Water says the city is using about 200 megalitres more water each day than its normal supply target, putting increasing pressure on the system.
The utility says it is being forced to conserve water in reservoirs overnight so that enough water is available during the day, when demand from residents, businesses, schools and hospitals is at its highest.
Johannesburg Water Operations Manager Gugulethu Quma says daily demand is currently averaging between 1,700 and 1,750 megalitres, compared with a target of between 1,500 and 1,550 megalitres.
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Quma says the shortfall is one of the reasons some residents are experiencing water throttling, as the utility works to preserve reservoir levels and maintain supply during the day.
He says water also needs to be redirected from areas with healthier supply to communities experiencing greater constraints, including areas such as Commando and Tip South.
The utility says these measures are aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of water across the City's infrastructure while maintaining supply to critical areas.
Water throttling is the intentional reduction or planned reduction of the flow of water.
Quma explains that this is done to manage demand at night.
"During the minimum night flows, the pressure is reduced so that we can retain the capacity for the next year," he says.
"This is also done to ensure that we address the escalation of demand, because it is unsustainable," he adds.