The City of Cape Town has released a video explaining how we can avoid Day Zero, and what would happen if that arrives.
The video praises residents who have managed to keep their water usage below the prescribed 87 litres per day and reduce their consumption in other ways. To date though, only 39% of residents are following these regulations, meaning the city’s overall consumption remains dangerously high, while the dam levels continue to drop.
Day Zero presents a major challenge to the city but authorities say they are prepared and have a plan.
“On this day the majority of taps around the city will be switched off. Residents will have to queue every day for their daily allocation of drinking water. This plan will be ready with teams, equipment and security on standby. But if we work out we can avoid this plan being rolled out,” the city says in the video.
Day Zero is looming. Watch the video to find out what will happen if we reach Day Zero and what the City has been doing to prevent it. Thank you to residents who have been saving water where they can. Together, we can #ThinkWaterCT and avoid Day Zero. pic.twitter.com/SiRn19c0nd
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) January 17, 2018
“We’re building desalination plants … We’ve relooked at our budget, made cuts, savings and made some tough decisions to fund water projects and reduce the burden on water users,” the video says. “We’re also adding additional water into the supply by drilling for groundwater and recycling waste water.”
The city’s Alantis and Silwerstroom aquifers are already online and contribute about 5-million litres per day to the water system.