The City of Cape Town (COCT) has asked residents to manage their water usage responsibly and avoid wasting water. Cape Town’s water supply operations are affected by the continued high stages of loadshedding.
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According to a statement by the COCT, water consumption levels remain above the target of 850 million litres per day even after an appeal to reduce water usage has been made to mitigate the situation.
The ongoing high stages of loadshedding impacts the ability of water treatment plants to sustain production and the ability of pump stations to move water through the supply network to reservoirs and areas across the City of Cape Town.
Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Siseko Mbandezi said, “The potential knock-on effect impacts the City’s ability to fill up reservoirs as quickly as may be required to meet demand. In addition, some higher-lying areas may experience low water pressure or supply disruptions in the event of power outages affecting the booster water pump stations, which are required in some areas to convey water to the reservoirs supplying the higher-lying areas across the city.
“The longer we have to contend with load-shedding, the greater the potential impact on our infrastructure, in spite of our best efforts. I therefore reiterate my call to residents and businesses to please be extra mindful of their water use over this time. While we have to be water-wise at all times, load-shedding is an added complication that requires even more resolve.
“We issued a call just over a week ago, requesting that Cape Town works to reduce daily water consumption to 850 million litres. We are still sitting at just over 900 million litres per day, so I appeal to everyone to do their bit and help protect the reliability of our water supply.”
COCT shares some of the regulations that are in place to manage water usage responsibly:
- Hosepipes used for watering or washing vehicles, boats and caravans (when permitted) must be fitted with a controlling device such as a spray nozzle or automatic self-closing device.
- Watering is only allowed before 9am or after 6pm (to avoid evaporation losses in the heat of the day). This applies to watering/ irrigation with municipal drinking water and is also recommended for alternative water e.g. borehole and well-point water.
- All swimming pools must be covered by a pool cover to avoid evaporation when not in use.
- Only flush toilets and do washing when really necessary. This will also help reduce pressure on the sewer network and wastewater treatment works.
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Analyst warns about stage 8 loadshedding as Eskom struggles with faults
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