We need everyone on board if we are going to beat drought
WE CAN beat this drought together.
Dam storage levels have declined by 0.7% over the past week to 37.8% (27.8% usable water). Collective usage is at 602 million litres per day.
This is 102 million litres above what is required for us to get through this drought while we roll out our additional water supply projects.
A year ago we set out to drastically reduce our water usage.
Since then, Capetonians have managed to reduce consumption from 1.1 billion litres a day before restrictions to the current levels.
This reduction in water usage couldn’t have been achieved without the concerted efforts of many residents and our water ambassadors.
Although as a city we have halved our water usage, the extreme nature of this “once-in-a-millennium” drought means we need to do more.
At the moment, only 50% of Capetonians are actively trying to save water, and we need everyone on board if we are going to beat the drought.
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 we beat the drought together.
All water-related projects within the city have been fast-tracked and we are engaging with experts both locally and internationally in order to bring the necessary projects online as soon as possible.
The city’s Water Resilience Plan comprises a range of additional supply projects to ensure we do not run out of water, and we are putting our best efforts into this plan to make sure of that.
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 plants will be adjudicated.
We will only get through this severe drought together. As a city, we need to do all we can to get additional water supply on track, but also to continue with water augmentation and saving.
We will supply while Capetonians save, and by working together we will make it through the drought.
We are asking all our water users to help us as we continue to help you in ensuring water is supplied. 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.
An online toolkit has been developed with various resources for all to use to help us drive this message.
Please see our website, www.capetown.gov.za, to access material that you may require. This toolkit will be updated regularly.
For information on how to meet the daily water usage requirement, residents should please see the water restrictions page on the city’s website: www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater, and utilise our water calculator: http://bit. ly/ThinkWaterCalculatorCT.
Residents can e-mail the city: @capetown.gov.za for queries about the water pressure reduction. or to report contraventions of the water restrictions (evidence should be provided to assist the city’s enforcement efforts). Alternatively, send an SMS to 31373.
For more information on water management devices, see http://cct.gov. za/mXos4. Patricia de Lille Executive mayor