Drought crisis warning: Use water only for drinking, washing and cooking
15 May 2017
Dam levels are now at 21,2% (storage levels), which is 0,8% down from a week ago. With the last 10% of a dam’s water mostly not being useable, dam levels are effectively at 11,2%. The latest consumption has jumped up again to 718 million litres, which is 118 million litres over the consumption target of 600 million litres. This communication serves as a critical warning to all water users in Cape Town to cut all non-essential use of water immediately. This is not a drill. Read more below:
The City of Cape Town warns all residents and businesses in Cape Town to cut non-essential municipal water use immediately. The City’s Mayoral Committee is expected to recommend to Council the implementation of Level 4 water restrictions tomorrow, 16 May 2017. This would entail a ban on all use of municipal water for outside and non-essential purposes.
‘We are essentially saying that you are only allowed to use a bit of water for drinking, cooking and washing. We are reaching a critical point in this drought crisis. Although we continue to work non-stop to force consumption down, overall use remains catastrophically high. This is not a request. We have seen huge saving-efforts, but the unseasonably hot autumn is exacerbating the situation and we must all do more.
‘Rain or shine, we are now at a point where all consumers must use below 100 litres per day. Stop flushing toilets when not necessary, shower for less than two minutes a day or use a wet cloth for a ‘wipe-down’, collect all would-be wasted water and use it to fill up toilet cisterns, among others,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy, Councillor Xanthea Limberg.