Cape Town – The City of Cape Town has released its inland water quality report covering historic water quality trends in the major rivers and open water bodies in the city, and also focuses on the five-year period from April 2015 to March 2020.
Mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said: “The report details key challenges towards improving the health of urban waterways. Going forward annual data will be used to assess the efficacy of programmes and activities aimed at reducing water pollution.
“The findings of the City’s comprehensive report reveal that while some of our urban river catchments are in a relatively good or near-natural state, six catchments face serious challenges.
“In making this report publicly available, as well as a less technical summary booklet, the City hopes to equip residents with a holistic perspective of the state of our water bodies, and commits to full transparency as to possible causes of pollution that need to be addressed from within the administration.
“However, it is also a call to action, as residents have a key role to play in halting the deterioration of these resources, and helping us transition into a water sensitive city.”
Meanwhile, provincial and local authorities have been working non-stop since 2014 to build greater resilience into Western Cape municipalities when it comes to water, according to Local Government, Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell.
Bredell said: “We have overseen the drilling of boreholes and replacement of aged infrastructure in places like Kannaland and on the West Coast. This work continues.”
Bredell was releasing the dam level report which showed that the average level for dams in the Western Cape is 60.4%. A year ago it stood at 48.9%.
Bredell said: “The latest level for dams providing water to the City of Cape Town is 79.7%, up by 12.8% from the same time last year when the level was 66.9%.
“The department is grateful to see dam levels where they are as we reach the end of the summer months. We continue to monitor the situation closely and continue to urge water users to remain water-wise and instil permanent, good behaviour change where it comes to water usage.”
Link to the Inland Water Quality Report Summary: http://bit.ly/CCT-InlandWaterQuality2019
To view the full report, visit https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20research%20reports%20and%20review/Inland_Water_Quality_Report_FULL.pdf
Cape Argus