When the taps run dry
Storing water before an outage, making it last, and what to do when your municipality says to boil water.
Burst pipes, maintenance, drought restrictions or a pump station without power: water outages happen, sometimes for days.
Store water before you need it
- Keep clean, sealed containers of drinking water. A common rule of thumb is a few litres per person per day, for a few days.
- Fill the bath or buckets when an outage is announced, for flushing and washing.
- Swap stored drinking water every few months.
Make it last
- Flush the toilet with a bucket of used water rather than refilling the cistern.
- Wash in a basin, not under a running tap.
- Keep drinking water for drinking and cooking.
Boil-water notices
If your municipality issues a boil-water notice, take it seriously.
- Bring water to a rolling boil before drinking it, making ice or brushing teeth with it. Let it cool covered.
- Follow the municipality's notice for how long it applies. It ends when they say so, not when the water looks clear.
Reporting
Report leaks and outages to your municipality and keep the reference number. Ward councillors and community groups often get updates first.
Something wrong or out of date?
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