The City of Cape Town (COCT) says residents should acquire the knowledge of how to find and fix leaks on their property to help prevent wastage and avoid receiving notices or warning letters for excessive usage.
According to a statement by the COCT, this is particularly important for registered indigent households, especially property owners with tenants or people living in their backyard.
” With the new Council-approved domestic metering approach, registered indigent households need to ensure they use less than 15 000 litres per month to avoid restriction. and equipping residents with tips on how to find and fix leaks is important, particularly for registered indigent households who need to make sure their water use remains below the extended usage limit of 15 000 litres each month,” the statement read.
The statement further indicated that this is the newly approved usage limit for indigent residents, as part of a new approach to domestic water metering.
” Should indigent households exceed this limit for three consecutive months, despite warnings, a flow restricting disk will be inserted on their meter. This will limit water supply to 6 000 litres per month for a period of 12 months.”
Steps to check for leaks on the property:
- Stop all water use. Close all the taps on the property and do not flush the toilet.
- Check and record the water meter reading.
- Wait at least 15 minutes and take another reading/Make sure that nobody has opened a tap or flushed the toilet since the meter reading was taken.
- If there is a difference, then the leak will have to be fixed. If the number on the meter has increased, then it means that a leak has been detected and fast action will need to be taken.
- Unless it is a simple DIY job, residents are encouraged to call a plumber to fix the leak.
However, subsidising residents who are economically vulnerable and marginalised remains a priority and the City will continue to provide relief in the form of water allocations at no charge to registered indigent persons, comprising approximately 40% of households in the metro.
The COCT also urge residents to report burst pipes or leaks in streets and public spaces by using one of the following options.
- Online www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests
- Email [email protected]
- SMS 31373 or call 0860 103 089
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Picture: Cape {town} etc gallery