Many residents of the Cape are wondering whether their nearest public pool will be open during the December holidays now that local water restrictions have been lowered from Level 6B to Level 5. These restrictions limit residents to 70 litres of water per individual per day instead of the previous daily limit of 50 litres per person.
City of Cape Town councillor JP Smith says only 13 of the city’s municipal pools were opened to the public last year throughout the festive season. This year, these 13 pools, as well as four more, will be open all through December for the public to enjoy.
The additional four pools are in Muizenberg, Langa, Emthonjeni, and Manenberg. Smith adds that four of the currently-existing municipal pools are going to be converted into seawater pools, as was previously done to the public pool in Sea Point.
“Keep in mind that with the water restrictions, we are not allowed to use potable water in maintaining the swimming pools,” Smith explains while speaking to CapeTalk. “When we backwash the pools, we’ll put that water into a sludge tank to sift out the sediment and reuse the water.”
Approximately 1.5-million people visit municipal swimming pools across Cape Town during the festive season, which is from December until January.
Smith says that the pools will be provisionally open from the start of December until 2 February 2019.
The pools that will be open from 1 December 2018 to 2 February 2019 include:
– Atlantis
– Kensington
– Khayelitsha
– Bellville South
– Bonteheuwel
– Vulindlela
– Mannenberg
– Hanover Park
– Goodwood
– Eastridge
– Mnandi
– Muizenberg
Four indoor pools, including Long Street, Strand, Retreat and Sea Point, remain open throughout the year.
