CRITICAL:

The City says dam storage levels are at 23.1% with the last 10% of a dam’s water mostly not being usable, meaning dam levels are effectively at 13.1%. Pictured is the Berg River which has also been hard hit by the recent drought.

THE City has warned water users not to increase consumption as dam levels remained critically low and “rainfall uncertainty high”.

Consumption has again shot up and is 40 million litres per day above the target of 600 million litres. Dam storage levels are at 23.1%; with the last 10% of a dam’s water mostly not being useable, meaning levels are effectively at 13.1%.

Mayco member for Water and Waste Services Xanthea Limberg said Level 4 water restrictions remain in place indefinitely over the long term and could be intensified if warranted due to the severity of the drought, above-target consumption, as well as the unpredictability of climatic conditions.

“Apart from safeguarding our current sustainability, we must think about building additional reserve capacity by continuing with the most hard-hitting water-saving efforts that we can muster.

“It may take a few seasons of normal rainfall for the dams to recover and we must bear in mind that we are expecting an even tougher summer in 2018.

“All consumers must continue to use less than 100 litres per person per day in total, whether at work, home, school or elsewhere,” said Limberg.

Meanwhile, the City has announced the Request for Ideas/Information (RFI) to the market for proposed solutions to establish several plants to supply water.

Mayor Patricia de Lille said the City is looking for solutions that can produce between 100 and 500 million litres of potable water a day. “The City seeks to gauge the interest of forprofit and non-profit entities in forming possible partnerships with the City to supply, install, and operate temporary plants at various locations along the sea shore and at certain inland locations,” she said.

The closing date for responses is July 10 and the response template can be found on the City’s website. – Staff Writer