Water suppliers in Johannesburg, South Africa, have asked residents of the city and its suburbs to use less water amid an intensifying water shortage that they warn could “result in the collapse of the system”.

Rand Water and Johannesburg Water on Sunday said that high water consumption by residents “is putting a strain on the system” and has resulted in significantly low water reservoir levels.

The companies have asked residents to save water by limiting their showers to two minutes, only flushing toilets after long calls and only washing cars on weekends using buckets.

The companies have also asked residents to stop filling swimming pools until water scarcity ends, avoid watering gardens and lawns with clean water and fix or report water leakages.

Johannesburg is currently under the yearly water restrictions, which often last during South Africa’s dry season between September and March.

In recent weeks, some of the city’s residents and institutions such as hospitals have gone without water, causing public discontent.