THESE ARE THE WATER GUZZLERS The 20 000 greediest water consumers have been responsible for nearly 65% of water used in the metropole

THE City of Cape Town has identified the residential areas where water is being guzzled despite the crippling drought which has seen dam levels plummet in the Western Cape.

The city this week announced stepped-up water restrictions. It says about 20 000 residents are guilty of excessive water consumption.

Yesterday it was revealed that the areas where the consumers of the most water live include the green belt of Newlands and Constantia as well as neighbouring suburbs Athlone, Newfields, Rylands and Lansdowne.

In the northern suburbs, more big consumers are to be found in Kraaifontein, while further afield verdant Somerset West is another water-guzzling area.

According to Xanthea Limberg, the city’s mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and water services and energy, the 20 000 greediest water consumers have been responsible for approximately 65% of the water used in the metropole.

Limberg said prior to Level 3b water restrictions coming into effect, the average use per household was well under 1 000 litres per day and less than 30 kilolitres per month

But the high- users consumed about 50 kilolitres of water per month.

At a city council meeting on Thursday, Mayor Patricia de Lille stressed water restrictions were not about money but rather about getting everybody to acknowledge the seriousness and importance of the situation.

“Because of your abuse, we will all suffer. Saving water is not optional.

“We all have to save water now to ensure that we have water over the long term,” De Lille said.

Excessive water consumption has contributed to an additional R254 million the city has derived from water sales but the city said it could not use this revenue to buy water and some residents urgently needed to change their behaviour.

A campaign to “engage” these top water consumers to persuade them to use far less water is to begin this weekend.

If this approach fails the city intends looking at other options including limiting water usage and installing water meter devices.

“The culprits are in the affluent areas.

“They own big properties, swimming pools and have big grass lawns,” ANC spokesperson Xolani Sotashe charged.

Sotashe said township residents “should not be used as the scapegoat” as their water consumption was being monitored through water meter devices and if there was any water wastage in townships, this was largely because there were broken and ageing municipal water pipes.

PICTURE: LIESL KING SunMet runner Whisky Baron checks out Miss South Africa semi-finalist Chante Claire Holloway’s outfit. See pages 2 and 24. Don’t miss all the action in the Weekend Argus Sunday.