PHOTOS | Cape Town dams filled for the first time since 2014

Steenbras Lower Dam Wall in September 2020

• The city of Cape Town has registered full dams for the first time since 2014.
• The rise in levels is partly due to residents’ water savings, as rainfall for the year was only slightly above average.
• The City is currently consulting on rates and restrictions for the next hydrological year.

---

Cape Town has recorded complete dams for the first time in six years.

According to Xanthea Limberg, Cape Town City’s Mayco member for water and waste, the dams from which the city draws its water supply have been 100% filled for the first time since 2014.

In early 2018, the city of Cape Town and its four million inhabitants faced running out of water completely, prompting severe restrictions on domestic consumption and the development of a “Day Zero” plan to distribute daily rations. of water in various public places.

SEE | Theewaterskloof Dam almost full – Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation

The city reduced demand by 55% between 2015 and 2018, without resorting to intermittent supply, something that has since been praised internationally, and the International Water Association named Cape Town the number one water-saving city in the world. world.

This low consumption has contributed, along with healthy rainfall, to the water levels in the dams, Limberg said.

“Without this intensive water saving by residents, however, our position would not be as secure. Full dams may give the impression that our problems are over, but this year’s rains were just above average.” , He said.

Approach rates

The City is currently in consultation on appropriate rates and restrictions for the 2020/21 hydrologic year (November 1 – October 31).

“Rates are currently at the second lowest possible level in terms of the city’s 2020/21 budget and have dropped significantly since the peak of the drought. The unrestricted, water-based rate being considered will provide some relief, but with due knowledge of the importance of having sufficient funds available to continue to increase our resilience, “said Limberg.

Consideration is also being given to the projected increase in the proportion of residents needing homeless support, in part due to the deteriorating national economic climate.

READ HERE | Waterstruck Nelson Mandela Bay Comes to Day Zero

“A financially unsustainable water supply system will ultimately hurt the next generation. The drought made it clear that the City needs to go beyond its constitutional mandate to build water security by investing in alternative sources of water supply,” He said.

“This prioritization of water safety / resilience is the guiding principle for water rates. The City assures residents that no profit is budgeted from the sale of water. Rates are set only to cover the costs of our water service water, including investment in new water sources. ”