Water shortage puts squeeze on City

THE CITY of Cape Town’s water situation is worsening. It emerged that the dam storage levels have declined by 0.7% over the past week to 37.8% with just 27.8% of usable water left.

The collective usage is currently at 602 million litres a day. This is 102 million litres above of what is required to get through the drought. The City has rolled out additional water supply projects.

A year ago the City decided to reduce its water usage drastically. Since then, residents have managed to reduce consumption from 1.1 billion litres a day to the current levels.

According to the City only 50% of residents are actively trying to save water and they are implored to assist.

“With this as our goal, the City’s staff – from engineers to front-line leak response teams and water call centre operators – are working day and night to ensure that we beat the drought together,” mayor Patricia de Lille said.

She also reiterated the City’s plans that compromises with a range of additional projects will ensure that the City does not run out of water.

“Several phases of our emergency augmentation programme are already under way. Last week the tender for the Monwabisi and Strandfontein desalination plants was awarded and this week the tenders for the Hout Bay, Dido Valley and the Harmony Park desalination plants will be adjudicated,” De Lille said.

She requested that all its water users assist. “We cannot do this without you and it is only through this partnership that we will be able to stretch our water supply to avert a true disaster.

“A smart online toolkit has been developed with resources for all to use to assist to drive this message. Please see our website www.capetown.gov.za to access material. This toolkit will be updated regularly.”

For information on how to meet the daily water usage requirement, visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater and use the water calculator http://bit.ly/ ThinkWaterCalculatorCT

Residents can contact the City by e-mail: water@capetown.gov.za for queries about water pressure reduction, or to report contraventions of the water restrictions (evidence should be provided to assist the City’s enforcement efforts), or they can send an SMS to 31373. – Staff Reporter

DAM STORAGE LEVELS HAVE DECLINED BY 0.7% OVER THE PAST WEEK TO 37.8% WITH JUST 27.8% OF USABLE WATER LEFT