Cape Town might be out of the red when it comes to Day Zero, but the water crisis is far from over. The city is increasingly recognised internationally as one of the leaders in demand management and conservation, but until the dam levels reach 85% the water restrictions will not be lifted.
Mayco member for informal settlements, water and waste services and energy, Xanthea Limberg, said in a statement that the dams storage levels have improved and the scenario was changing.
“With that being said, the lessons of adaptation we have learnt during this severe drought have made us understand what it means to live in a water-scarce region, and accepting that the new normal is a way of life is what will see us achieve true resilience and sustainability.”
Limberg said what Cape Town’s residents and government had done in two years to reduce consumption was amazing.
The City of Cape Town’s dam levels have risen by 4.6% since last week’s readings, bringing the City’s water resources to a capacity of 42.7%, with the Theewaterskloof dam seeing a particularly healthy rise.
A recent update of the city’s water map for May 2018 shows a record number of 217 271 households achieving the dark green water-saving dot for their conservation efforts. These households managed to use less than 6 000 litres of water in a month.
On top of this amazing achievement an additional 182 404 households also achieved a light green dot status for using under 10 500 litres per month. This makes May a record month with 399 675 households achieving green dot status for saving water.
‘We continue to be proud of the achievements of our residents and of this metro. We thank our residents who are still painting the city green irrespective of the improved dam levels and rainfall that we have received. Importantly, we must try not to let our good water-saving effort go down the drain,” said Limberg.
“The drought is not over and the dams are still quite low, despite the very welcome relief and continued increases. We must continue to adhere to water restrictions and reduce water demand. The lower water usage patterns we’ve been seeing over the past year must be the new normal,” she said.
Pictures: Supplied