CRITICAL:
The average level for dams in the Western Cape remained at 34.8% yesterday. Major dams remain critically low before the summer holiday period. Theewaterskloof Dam is currently at 25% (down from 50% in 2016); Voëlvlei Dam is at 27% (2016: 69%); Clanwilliam Dam at 36% (2016: 95%); and Brandvlei Dam at 32% (2016: 55%).
THE LOOMING “Day Zero” for Cape Town’s taps has been pushed back at least two months, but water rationing by the City will not stop and residents are being asked to continue being moderate in their consumption patterns.
Mayor Patricia de Lille yesterday announced that the day it forecast city taps running dry is May 13. Day Zero was initially envisaged as happening at the end of March.
The update came after residents made concerted efforts to save water with usage reduced from 1.1 billion litres a day in January, to 582 million litres a day at present.
“However, we are still appealing to residents to stick to the 87 litres per person a day to continue saving water. This is our new normal – we’re in a permanent drought and we must get used to the fact that water will never be in abundance again,” De Lille said.
She added that the Dutch government, which was experienced in the area of desalination, had already met with national government, and a meeting with the City was scheduled for next week.
“We have already brought additional water from the Molteno reservoir in Oranjezicht and the Atlantis aquifer, with 2 million and 5 million litres a day from these sources, respectively. At this stage, there are seven projects already under way in the first phase,” said De Lille.
These projects are Monwabisi, Strandfontein, the V&A Waterfront, and Cape Town Harbour desalination plants; the Atlantis and Cape Flats aquifer projects; and the Zandvliet water recycling project, which will be producing an additional 144 million litres a day between February and July.
“To keep essential services and vital industry running, we have calculated that at 13.5% dam storage, the City will turn off almost all taps. This is Day Zero. But if we all work together to continue to save water, this day may never have to come,” she said.
De Lille reiterated the plans for Day Zero: that residents would have to collect a predefined amount of drinking water per person a day from about 200 collection sites across the city. The quantity would be based on the minimum requirements for people to maintain health and hygiene.
“At the moment, the plan is to distribute 25 litres per person per day, which is in line with the World Health Organisation recommendation.”
According to Dr Kevin Winter at the African Climate and Development Initiative, “the City of Cape Town reacted slowly to the decline in water storage levels, which became evident towards the end of October 2016”.
“It will be a tragedy for a city of over 6 million people to be without water. It is likely that the tragedy will be averted for now, but it could be a close call because weather patterns are increasingly uncertain.”