With the ongoing hot weather the City of Cape Town encourages people in Cape Town to be water-wise at all times, especially this summer.
Since December dam levels have been steadily dropping by about 2% each week with Cape Town’s dam-storage levels currently standing at 60,1%.
Over the past week water usage has continued to climb, reaching 1 073 million litres of water a day (MLD), 98 more than the usage target.
While there is no immediate cause for concern about water security in Cape Town users are urged to use water wisely to help the City manage dam levels until winter, Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, said in a media release.
“All of us need to use water wisely this summer and fix leaks, so we can collectively keep our usage under 975 million litres a day (MLD) to reduce the risk of restrictions should below average rainfall be experienced this winter.”
Water restrictions
“If we use more than this target this summer, followed by another below average rainfall this winter, the City may have to implement water restrictions by next summer,” Badroodien pointed out.
“Based on last year’s below-average rainfall the City has decided to set a proactive water savings target until winter.
“Since the previous drought the City has and continues to proactively invest in annually upgrading aged water pipes, improving pressure management, fixing leaks faster and strengthening metering along the water supply network.
“The City is also actively investing and progressing with strategic plans for Cape Town’s new water supply to build our water secure future, which aims to add 300 million litres a day to our water supply. This includes projects such as desalination, groundwater schemes and re-use.”
He said it is the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) that ordinarily implements water restrictions on water users.
“DWS conducted an annual operating analysis, which assesses the availability and security of water supply in the system, in November. Factors considered in determining whether there is a cause for concern include current and previous year’s dam levels, rainfall patterns in the current and following years and water demand, especially over the hot summer months.
“Based on this analysis, DWS approved that no water restrictions needed to be implemented in Cape Town this 2025-’26 hydrological year.”
“The drought has taught Cape Town that it is vital to have diverse water sources and not depend only on rain-fed dams,” Badroodien continued. “Based on this, the City’s water and sanitation directorate is investing in Cape Town’s New Water Programme (NWP) aimed at building a resilient, diverse water supply that will navigate future climate shocks and drought regardless of unpredictable rain. Initiatives, including desalination, water re-use, clearing of invasive plant species and groundwater schemes, make up the NWP. This is part of the City’s strategy to increase drinking water supply by 300 million litres a day.”
Key tips to keep water usage down
- Find and fix water leaks on your property;
- If dripping taps, leaking toilets and faulty plumbing go undetected and ignored for a long time, a lot of water is wasted;
- Monitor your own usage and make the effort to save water;
- About 70% of all water used in the city is used in homes, which is why saving water at home is so critical. Only water the garden at night to prevent evaporation and avoid topping up swimming pools or pool inflatables unnecessarily.
- Report burst municipal pipes immediately to the City on 086 010 3089 (option 2), by SMS to 31373, on WhatsApp 060 018 1505 or by email to water@capetown.gov.za. Provide an exact location or address and insist on a reference number.
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