The City has pushed Day Zero back to June 4, thanks largely to the decline in agricultural use and also as a result of Capetonians reducing their water usage to bring down consumption.
 
Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson said over the past week consumption has been lowered to 526-million litres per day.
“This is the first time that the weekly average usage has remained under 550 million litres due to the City’s pressure management interventions and the efforts by our residents to use as little water as possible,” said Neilson. 
Dam levels are at only 24,9% compared to 36,1% last year and 43,3% in 2016.
“Though the dam levels are much lower than a year ago, we have more information and more control over the system that supplies water to the city. Our continued interactions with the National Department of Water and Sanitation have led to much improved data-sharing and analysis, allowing for more reliable modelling and dramatically improved control over dam levels.”

He thanked the Groenland Water Users’ Association for their water transfer to the Steenbras dam, and to the National Department of Water and Sanitation for facilitating this supply injection.

“In accepting this transfer, we acknowledge the sacrifices that many in the farming sector have made during this extreme drought.”

The city will continue with their efforts to reduce water consumption and implement pressure management to reduce usage, to install water management devices at the properties of high users and to conduct blitzes to ensure that all water users adhere to the water restrictions. All preparations for the possibility of reaching Day Zero will move ahead as planned.

“It is absolutely clear that when we need to pull together in this city, we can do so. If we continue to work as a team to lower our consumption to 450 million litres per day as required, we will become known as one of the most resilient cities in the world. We are fast becoming a leading example of a large city that is fundamentally changing its relationship with water,” he concluded.

Picture: Pixabay

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