Cape Town - The City council is preparing to meet at the end of the month to deliberate whether water tariffs should be lowered as irate organisations and residents’ associations are contemplating action against the City.
This after the national Water and Sanitation Department said because of the provincial system’s dams having reached 88% on September 1, the government had repealed all restrictions imposed in gazetted notices from December 2017 to 2018.
Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said: “With significantly better rainfall seasons over 2018, 2019 and 2020 the system improved such that it is no longer under severe stress, and the reserve storage that was gradually depleted over the last five years has been recharged.”
Stop Coct founder Sandra Dickson said: “The entire tariff system, restriction levels and pipe charge should be revised and proper public participation and input should be incorporated into the new structure. The central Department of Water services already lifted the water restrictions for the Western Cape catchment area in September 2020.”
The City has previously said revenue from tariffs were being used when maintaining an 11 500km water network, 9 500km sewer infrastructure, 5600km of stormwater pipelines, 490 wastewater pump stations and 23 waste water treatment works.
Goodwood Ratepayers And Residents Association chairperson Faizel Petersen said: “We support the call by civic group Stop Coct for the City to reduce the water tariffs as well as to scrap the pipe levy, as our dams have been at 100% for a few weeks now with the good rainfall we experienced. The City has cleverly renamed water restriction level 3 to level 1, yet we are effectively still paying level 3 costs.”
District Six Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Asa Salie said the City was the only metro charging the pipe levy.
Mayco member for water and waste services Xanthea Limberg said: “Residents are reminded that any decisions related to water tariffs and restrictions going forward will be mindful of residents’ praiseworthy relationship with water, and the City will seek to find an arrangement most beneficial to residents, and one that is sustainable for our water security.”
Cape Argus
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