#WaterCrisis: High usage limits rise in water levels

STILL VERY LOW: While dam storage levels rose slightly to 27.4 percent, the collective water usage shot up to 643 million litres in the last week.

STILL VERY LOW: While dam storage levels rose slightly to 27.4 percent, the collective water usage shot up to 643 million litres in the last week.

Published Jul 24, 2017

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CAPE TOWN - The rainy days last week meant that the dam storage levels rose slightly to 27.4 percent but in a disappointing turn of events, the collective water usage shot up to 643 million litres in the last week.

Yesterday the dams levels feeding the city were; Berg River Dam at 39.6 percent, Steenbras Lower at 29.3 percent, Steenbras Upper at 82.1 percent, Theewaterskloof at  21.3 percent, Voelvlei at 21.6 percent and Wemmershoek at 36.1percent.

 

This is 143 million litres above the target of 500 million litres of collective water usage a day, and water wasters were clearly in contravention of the Level 4b restrictions which meant water each person gets to use below 87 litres a day for cooking, cleaning and washing. 

 

“Too many people are not listening to the City’s warnings and appeals to reduce their consumption. The rainfall has made a very small impact on our dam levels. 

 

“The fact that we are still 143 million litres over our 500 million litre target per day means that those who are not reducing consumption are playing with everyone’s future in Cape Town,” said  Xanthea Limberg  Mayco member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy.

 

With storage levels at 27.4 percent, useable water is about 17,4 percent which is very low for mid-winter.

 

“The lower than average rainfall, coupled with unacceptably high consumption, will hurt us all as there are still far too many stubborn people who are not doing enough to save water so that we can build up of reserves for a terribly harsh 2017/18 summer,” said Limberg.

The Cape Argus

 

 

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