Next on the water clamp list

SINCE there has not been a let-up in the consumption of water, the City Council has announced the next areas where excessive users will have water management devices installed on their properties.

This comes as experts warn that Cape Town will be in an even worse position this summer in terms of water security than a year ago.

So far, the devices have been installed at high-consumption properties in Constantia and Claremont as the city continues to crack down on excessive water users.

Dam storage levels are at 32.5%, which means usable water is at 22.5%. Collective consumption is 629 million litres a day, 129 million litres above the target of 500 million litres a day needed to build reserves for the expected harsh summer ahead.

This also comes as experts say estimates suggest that if there is no further significant rainfall or new water resources that can be found to augment supplies, there is a strong possibility that the city will have no water early in the new year.

City Mayco member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services, and Energy Xanthea Limberg said warning letters had been sent to more than 21 500 households that were using excessive amounts of water. Letters had been hand-delivered to 175 households that were consuming over 100 000 litres a month.

Areas next on the list to have water management devices installed on the private properties of excessive users are Durbanville, Southfield, Retreat, Oakdale, Rondebosch, Maitland, Crawford, Three Anchor Bay and Parklands.

The devices will be installed at properties after more than seven working days have been allowed for action to be taken by the customer. Where consumption remains high, devices will be installed at the cost of the property owner, between R4 560 and R4 732.

“The city is engaging affected homeowners. Households will be restricted to an allocation of 350 litres a day unless an application to increase the allocation is made to the city in the form of an affidavit verified by water inspectors. In that case, the city will set the water meter to a daily target that would allow each person to use their 87 litres per day in line with Level 4b restrictions,” Limberg said.

The next eight months would be critical, she said, as the city aimed to build up reserves towards winter 2018.

“On the other hand, we must introduce emergency supply schemes. This includes the finalisation and issuing of approximately 20 tenders for the various required emergency augmentation schemes over the next few weeks and months.

“It is envisaged that all of our emergency schemes will be implemented to some degree within the next eight months,” she said.

Dr Kevin Winter, of UCT’s Future Water Institute, said estimates suggested that if there were no further significant rainfall or new water resources to augment supplies, there was a strong possibility the city wouldn’t have water early in the new year.

“Hopefully we won’t be in this position, but there are very challenging and uncertain times ahead.

“Right now we should be storing water safely wherever we can, either in rain tanks or small dams, and encouraging the recharge of groundwater during the next few weeks of rain showers,” he said.

“It is difficult to establish a date when the dams will run dry because there are many issues at play, some of which are being managed in real time and can make a difference to how water is stockpiled in some places or when clever practices are used to extract even beyond the last remaining 10% of water,” he added.

CSIR chief researcher professor Francois Engelbrecht said that although there had been a number of good rainfalls in August, the end of the winter rainfall season was at hand. It was likely that the Western Cape would move into its dry summer season with moderate to extreme drought persisting, he said.

“Although it is possible that a single heavy rainfall producing weather system such as a cut-off low can still lead to an increase in dam levels during August to November, it is likely that the Cape Town area will face its upcoming dry summer season with lower dam levels and in an even worse position in terms of water security than a year ago,” Engelbrecht said.

WATER and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has revealed to MPs her department is under financial pressure, with municipalities and water boards owing it R7 billion.

Mokonyane told the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) yesterday that this was a lot of money that needed to be recovered from municipalities.

She said the debt had led to officials in the department including the R7bn in their financial management plans, but have been told to stop the practice.

Mokonyane said they were not like Eskom, which can switch off the lights to defaulting municipalities, the department cannot stop the supply of water to municipalities that are in arrears.

Mokonyane was facing a grilling from Scopa on irregular expenditure of billions of rand when she revealed the municipal debt.

Initially, the minister said the municipal debt was R7bn. But she later said municipalities owed her department R3.8bn and water boards R3.2bn.

She said they wanted to recover the money from the defaulting municipalities and water boards.

However, they would not be able to cut-off the water supply.

“By law, we cannot switch off water to municipalities.

“The Department of Co-operative Governance and National Treasury is trying to recover the R7bn owed to the Water Trading Entity (WTE).

“The WTE had worked on the basis that there is R7bn that is coming.

“The challenge with water (non-payment) is different from Eskom.

“Even if municipalities do not pay we must continue to supply water.”

Mkhuleko Hlengwa of the IFP said there was instability in the department due to the suspension of officials.

He said the current director-general, Dan Matshitiso, has been placed under suspension a few months after being appointed to the position.

He took over the position after the previous director-general, Margaret Diedericks, resigned halfway through her term.

Mokonyane said Diedericks was going to leave soon because she had been transferred from another department.

She said Matshitiso will be facing disciplinary action over various allegations relating to his work.

Matshitiso has been replaced by the chief financial officer of the department Sifiso Mkhize in an acting capacity.

Mokonyane also assured Scopa there were investigations into the water project in Giyani, after the cost ballooned to R2.5bn.

She said the special investigating unit and the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane are investigating the project.