Water restriction tariff in Johannesburg is set to be introduced. City spokesperson, Stan Maphologela confirmed that the City of Johannesburg will be implementing strict measures to cut on excessive water usage in an effort to ensure that all South Africans use water sparingly.
“As per the announcement for water restrictions declared countrywide in November 2015, the City of Johannesburg taking into consideration that South Africa is a water-scarce country and the persisting lower-than-normal rainfall since the beginning of last year, will apply water restriction tariffs to domestic customers as of 1st of August 2016,” Maphologela explained.
He said this was the City’s strategy of increasing efforts to reduce high water usage and enforce a culture of responsible usage. “The threat of water supply is increasingly becoming a real issue to all South Africans, particularly in our country where water is a scarce resource.
Water restriction tariff in Johannesburg will require that customers to cut on their water use to avoid level two restrictions, which may force the City to introduce a strict water tariff to those who have higher water usage.
Maphologela added that in the event that a level two water restriction is applied, the City will introduce a water restriction tariff on the upward scale beginning with those using more than 20 kilolitres, up to those using more than 40 kilolitres per month, with the cost increasing proportional to usage. The average household water usage according to Maphologela is around 30 kilolitres monthly.
Maphologela added that customers who use less and practice water saving won’t be affected, as every household is entitled six kilolitres of free water per month which will be taken into account for all domestic customers.
Consumers consuming between 20 and 30 kilolitres of water will have a 10 percent tariff increase, while those using between 30 and 40 kilolitres will have a 20 percent increase and those who use more than 40 kilolitres will have a staggering 30 percent tariff increase.
