Cape Town: A drought disaster area

After weeks of fake reports doing the rounds and months of water restrictions the City of Cape Town has come out saying there are roughly 113 days of water left.

“As at today, 6 March 2017, dam levels have dropped to 31.5%, which is 1.6% down from a week ago. With the last 10% of a dam’s water mostly not being useable, dam levels are effectively at approximately 21.5%. Consumption has broken through the 800 million litre barrier for the first time to 783 million litres of collective use per day, but we have still not achieved the new collective usage target of 700 million litres per day,” the City remarked last week.

Last week Friday saw the City being declared and promulgated as a local disaster area in the Provincial gazette. “This declaration is valid for a period of three months but can be extended on a month-to-month basis by notice in the Gazette. A Council decision is not required,” added the City.

This gives the City the leeway to now invoke emergency procurement procedures should it be required to expedite the emergency and accelerated water resource schemes. Though no clarification has been given as to what these schemes or procedures entail as yet.

“This declaration is not an excuse for our residents not to carry on reducing consumption. There are so many great water ambassadors. Without you, we would have been in more serious trouble. We thank the many residents and businesses who are working with us to save water,” the City highlighted.

This, as they are continuing to engage with the top 20 000 consumers across residential areas, business, industrial and government properties in line with bringing their water consumption down.

“Those who have not played an active saving role must do so immediately by ensuring that their homes are water-efficient, that they fix their leaks both above ground and underground and that they continue to implement no- to low-cost water-saving techniques,” adds the City’s mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services councillor Xanthea Limberg.

Residents were further advised to contact the City via email for queries or to report contraventions (evidence should be provided to assist the City’s enforcement efforts), alternatively they can send an SMS to 31373.