Water heroes, weather and pressure management boosting winter water-saving efforts
Summary
- Average water consumption for the past week has reached another low of 494 million litres per day
- Dam levels have improved by 1,8% to 55,1% of storage capacity although the increase is not as significant as over the past two months due to the more temperate and dry weather
- Winter water-saving efforts have been boosted by water heroes, weather and pressure management. The latter effort is saving 58,8 million litres per day. The City’s leak repair programme and engagement with top consumers brings this total to 63,8 million litres saved per day
Capetonians have again shown their commitment to low water usage. Come rain or snow, the City of Cape Town, with the help of its residents, continues to boost water-saving efforts in winter to ensure that Cape Town builds a water buffer for the summer ahead and to help our dams recover from the extreme drought.
The improvement in dam levels, however, is not as significant as the trend over the past two months as a result of the drier and more temperate weather that Cape Town experienced over the past week. Due to the unpredictability of rainfall, it is important that Cape Town’s water heroes carry on using as little water as possible and that the City’s vital pressure management programme continues across the metro.
‘Through the ongoing pressure management operation across the metro, which involves dedicated members of staff, professional engineers, contractors and even retired water engineers which the City coaxed back during the peak of the extreme drought, we are saving some 58,8 million litres per day.
‘Not only does pressure management generally lower consumption by reducing the rate at which water flows to properties, it also reduces leaks and pipe bursts by better ensuring that pressure remains within levels that the pipework can tolerate, and reduces the rate of loss from leaks and bursts. As always, we thank our customers for understanding that this is a very necessary programme,’ said the City’s Executive Deputy Mayor, Alderman Ian Neilson
Tips for pressure management
- Please store only up to 10 litres of water for essential usage if required. Residents are urged not to stockpile large volumes of municipal water. This is because, if there are any significant service interruptions, they are not expected to be in effect for long periods
- Please also keep taps closed to prevent water damage in the event of water being restored after a disruption
- Do water-intensive activities such as laundry in non-peak hours i.e. not between 06:00 and 08:00 in the mornings or 18:00 and 20:00in the evenings
At all times careful consideration will be given to ensure minimal disruption to the water supply.
Please visit www.capetown.gov.za/
Please always check with your neighbours whether they too are experiencing low water pressure or intermittent supply disruptions as this would in all likelihood be pressure-related. If the problem persists for an unreasonable period of time, please send an email to [email protected] or call 0860 103 089, WhatsApp 063 407 3699 or SMS 31373 (max of 160 characters).
Winter water-saving tips
- Stick to short, stop-start showers or skip a day if you can
- In winter, water may take a bit longer to heat up. Don’t let the cold water run down the drain while you wait for it to heat up. Rather collect it in a clean container and use it to wash dishes or laundry
- Install flow restrictors on indoor taps to reduce the flow rate to less than 6 litres per minute. Low-flow showerheads can reduce flow to a maximum of 10 litres per minute. You can also reduce the water pressure to your property by turning your stopcock lower and/or installing a flow restrictor on the main pipe connection from your meter
- Continue to harvest rainwater and use it to flush the toilet or to clean floors
- Continue to switch between using waterless hand sanitiser where possible and using water and soap to clean hands
We encourage all of our water users who are living the #50LitreLife to show their commitment to saving our precious water by getting a free profile picture at http://bit.ly/2IzvM2t
Statement issued by Alderman Ian Neilson, Executive Deputy Mayor, City of Cape Town, 16 July 2018
