Capetonians are being asked to give their opinions and suggestions regarding the R5.4-billion strategy to avoid the possibility of “Day Zero” that has been proposed by the City of Cape Town.
The proposed strategy entails putting in place ways of supplying the ever-growing demand for water over the next 10 years, these being making use of ground water, water reuse and desalination. If accepted after public comment,
A key goal outlined for the strategy is to increase the available water capacity per day by more than 300-million litres while at the same time avoiding exorbitant costs for water.
Currently, Cape Town’s daily usage measures between 600-million to 700-million litres, roughly half of what it was before the severe drought that affected the city and its people.
At the centre of the plan is the use of rain-fed dams, with the City expecting this cheaper solution to provide two-thirds of the needed water supply. The City also plans to provide incentives to keep water usage down rather than implement high tariffs.
Locals will have from February 15 to March 15 2019 to consider the drought-proofing proposal and offer their feedback.
The strategy was reportedly developed from the advice of international experts while taking all Cape Town-specific factors into consideration, including the unpredictable weather of late.
Eventually it is hoped that the plan will enable the Mother City to become and remain a water-sensitive society with a range of different water supplies and a variety of uses.
Factors considered in the planning include examining areas with over-allocated water allowances, removing alien vegetation and changing societal habits.
“The reality is that investments to strengthen our resilience and reliability of supply will increase the cost of water. Through a pragmatic approach, these increases will be contained and we will not see the extreme price increases that we saw during the drought,” Councillor Xanthea Limberg, member of the mayoral committee in charge of water and waste plans told News24.
If you want to have your say, you can do so by either sending a written submission or via the City site here.
You can review the strategy outlined by the City here.
General queries can be relayed through Nathan Fisher on 021 400 1450. Those needing special assistance, such as for disabilities, can contact Ismail du Plooy on 021 400 1184.
Picture: Pixabay
