105 days of water remain
THERE are only 105 days of usable water left if people in Cape Town continue to consume water at the current rate.
As of yesterday dam levels have dropped to 30%, which is 1.5 percentage points down from a week ago. With the last 10% of a dam’s water mostly not being usable, dam levels are effectively at about 20%.
However, consumption has continued to decline and is now at 751 million litres a day – 51 million litres above the collective usage target of 700 million litres a day.
The City of Cape Town said that despite efforts by some residents to use water sparingly, “it remains crunch time and reductions are vital as the draw-down rate of the dams stays pronounced”.
“The City has also been testing further pressure reduction initiatives to reduce consumption,” it said in a statement.
The City would be deploying “a basket of consumption reduction interventions”.
The City has appealed to its close to 1 million consumers to co-operate. It continues to engage with the top 20 000 consumers across residential, business, industrial and government properties to ensure that consumption is brought down.
“For our top 100 residential consumers, where leaks on private property were the cause for the unacceptably high use, private leaks have been identified and fixed.
“These consumers have been removed from the list.”
The City said it wants residents to take responsibility for consumption and then to reduce it.
“We are extremely encouraged by the response across all sectors.
“The City continues planning for the implementation of contingency and emergency measures in conjunction with the national Department of Water and Sanitation,” said the mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services and energy, councillor Xanthea Limberg.
Residents can contact water. restrictions@capetown.gov.za for queries or to report contraventions, or they can send an SMS to 31373. For more information, see the website www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater
THE WESTERN Cape’s rapidly decreasing dam levels were cause for major concern, particularly during National Water Week, according to the provincial department of local government, environmental affairs and development planning.
“This week’s update indicates the average level is now 28.4%,” MEC Anton Bredell said. “We are meeting with Western Cape municipalities this week to deliberate on immediate and clear steps going forward with regard to water management. We remain optimistic that by reducing consumption, we will reach the rainfall season with water in the dams.”
Many water-saving techniques can be employed to place less strain on dam levels in the province.
Sanitaryware manufacturer Hansgrohe’s managing director David Cooper said there is plenty of technology around to help save water. “Something as simple as changing a shower head can reduce household water consumption by 3 900 litres per month – that’s an astonishing 46 800 litres per year,” he said.
“The idea is to transform the way people perceive restrictions – don’t see them as restrictive; rather see them as enabling a more sustainable lifestyle. Adopting eco-friendly practices is an investment in a smarter, greener future.”