The water crisis facing the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is firmly under the spotlight at a Council meeting at the Wool Exchange building in Port Elizabeth.
The Metro's infrastructure and engineering executive director Walter Shaidi told Council the Metro is simply drawing more water than it should be.
A slide presentation was shown in council which stated that there has been prolonged below rainfall in the catchment areas and that the Kouga and Impofu dams have not been full for three years.
High water usage of between 290 and 300 megalitres per day has not helped nor has the fact that there were two canal breaks supplying water to the Nooitgedacht Treatment works.
According to figures released by the municipality on Thursday morning, the average combined capacity of Nelson Mandela Bay's main supply dams is now at a mere 27.1%.
Shaidi said there is a short term drought intervention plan in place and the first thing on the list is to fix water leaks.
He said the Metro also has plans to maximize the Nooitgedagt scheme and will refocus on media campaigns to curb water wastage and encourage residents to save water.
