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By Marvin Charles 
12h ago
Cape Town: The city decided to lift the water restrictions in Cape Town and move to the lower rate, which is the unrestricted water rate as of November 1.
The mayoral committee (mayco) unanimously supported the decision that will be presented to the council for its information next week.
Mayor Dan Plato said: “Mayco has taken note of the expert advice from the city water and sanitation department and we support their decision to lift water restrictions and reduce water and sanitation rates to the lowest level approved by the council.
“We have always had a proactive approach in managing our resources, financial and natural, and we are happy to support the decision.
“Aside from the dams being filled to capacity and beyond in recent weeks, this is another moment to celebrate as, in just a few years, we have gone from the worst drought to facing our city and a potential Zero Day. of water, full dams and zero water restrictions, in addition to the need to maintain water. We are located in a water-scarce region, so we will always have to ensure that we are sustainable and ready for the future. “
Plato said this lower fee will offer residents some financial relief.
Stop COCT founder Sandra Dickson said: “We welcome this small gesture from the City, but we regret the time it took the City to make such a basic and elementary decision.
“The dams already reached 85% of their capacity at the end of August, so the water restrictions governed by the national government were automatically lifted according to the written directive of the DWS (Department of Water and Sanitation) in 2017/18”.
Goodwood Residents and Taxpayers Association President Faisal Petersen said: “The new water rates should be in line with what the Tier 0 rate was at the height of the drought, as the City renamed the water restriction level 3 to level 1, while charging taxpayers for level 3.
“The City has also refused to review the ‘pipe tax’ so rates should go back to true level 0, and not level 2. The cost of living is extremely high, our economy is struggling to recover, many people are unemployed with little or no income, yet the City is not fully joining the party by providing blanket relief for all of its taxpayers. “
The city said its decision to lift water restrictions and lower water rates was based on three key considerations, including DWS’s national lifting of its restrictions on the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) of dams. shared, of which Cape Town is one. of the users. Overall, WCWSS dam levels reached 100%. City projections indicate that dams are unlikely to fall below 50% next winter.
Earlier this year, the City launched its water strategy, which seeks to ensure enough water for the future and ensure that the city is more resilient to climate change and other impacts.
Xanthea Limberg, Mayco member for water and waste services, said: “The city has already been implementing the water strategy as 15 million liters of groundwater per day has been brought online from the Table Mountain group’s aquifer. while other projects, including permanent desalination and water reuse, are also being planned. “
Cape Argus
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