Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor, Athol Trollip, has tightened water restrictions for the municipality following a decline in dam levels to an average of 19.27% with little prospects of impending rain.

Given the strong possibility that the drought could continue should local water consumption not be reduced further, Trollip has appealed to local residents and communities to adhere to the firmer water restrictions.

With average dam levels under 20% the municipality is restricting household consumption to 15 kl per metered connection.  In addition residents will not be able to use municipal water for watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars or hosing paving.

The municipality will also require all building contractors to use treated effluent collected from Fishwater Flats (or any other appropriate wastewater treatment works), other than for concrete work.

“The municipality requests that all residents use a maximum of 50 litres per person per day, that cistern “bricks” be utilised in every toilet, that household toilets be flushed with non-municipal water (e.g. grey, rain or borehole water) and that water-efficient shower heads be used,” Trollip noted.

Trollip said the municipality would in return make recycled effluent available to contractors and households for non-drinking purposes during business hour. It will also make untreated groundwater available for non-drinking purposes at the Motherwell cemetery, install flow control valves at 50 high water user schools and manage its internal water usage, per directorate, based on the audit conducted.