Cycle tour will increase, not deplete city’s water

THURSDAY MARCH 01 2018 THE city’s biggest cycle event, the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT), will not affect the city’s water crisis, and will in fact be adding water to the system.

However, this does not sit well with the Green Point Ratepayers and Residents Association who said that Green Point, Mouille Point and Sea Point would not benefit from that water.

Instead, the association wants the 3 million litres of water donated by the event to be used to keep the grass in their area green.

The City implemented level 6b water restrictions, which makes irrigation or watering with municipal drinking water illegal.

The CTCT’s media and marketing director, David Bellairs, said the tour is about giving back to charity.

“The tour will not be worsening the water crisis, it will have rather a positive impact on the crisis at large,” he said.

Association chairperson Jenny McQueen said: “All of it (water) will go directly into the City of Cape Town’s water infrastructure. And none of it will be piped directly to the areas affected by the race.”

She said that non-potable water was needed for the area’s fields to be maintained. McQueen said the Promenade was also under pressure with grassy common areas reduced to dust bowls impossible to rehabilitate.

The grass areas at the outdoor gym on Green Point promenade and Green Point Salesian Football Club were severely affectedwith little prospect of recovering

“Far from a decrease, Green Point has seen an increase in events in March. We are concerned with the City’s responses to this quantity of event requests, in light of the severity of the water shortages we’re facing,” McQueen said.

Bellairs said: “We really enjoy working in Green Point and working with the residents of Green Point, In fact, we can confirm that we will be putting in a excess of 3 million litres of water in the City’s water system.”

The CTCT is set to begin on March 11. More than 16 events have been planned for this month.