Visitors urged to save water

THE CITY has increased its efforts to raise awareness about the drought. This time the City is targeting tourists and visitors.

Yesterday the City’s mayoral committee member for area central, Siyabulela Mamkeli, visited Cape Town International Airport.

“We welcome each and every tourist who is visiting or planning to visit Cape Town over the next few months, and believe that all will have a memorable time in this beautiful city. We trust that our visitors will have the City’s best interests at heart, and will become water ambassadors themselves,” Mamkeli said .

The airport visit is one of several initiatives, among them advertising at the airport and in in-flight magazines, and engagements with hospitality federation Fedhasa to ensure they spread the message to hotels and guest houses.

Mamkeli urged tourists, locals and the hospitality industry to adhere to the new level 5 water restrictions.

Meanwhile, despite heavy rainfall over the weekend that raised the water level of the Breede River, the organisers of this year’s Breede River Canoe Marathon have made changes to the format of the race, which is set to take place this weekend. It will be held over the section from Riggton Farm, close to Bonnievale, to Kam’bati Resort, the usual second day of the marathon, racing the same 33.5km stage on Saturday and Sunday.

“This is a fall-back plan that has been used successfully in the past when the river level has been low,” said race committee head Russell Ikin.

“There is a little rain forecast for late in the week, but as the rain needs three days to get into the main Breede system, it won’t have any bearing on the race,” he added.

Ikin said the drought had asked a lot of them.

“The Berg marathon was the second-lowest ever, and despite better rains in the build-up to the Breede, the marathon will be a low-key one this year,” he said.

The dam levels remain extremely low, with storage levels currently sitting at 37.2%, with 27.2% usable water.