Cape Town - With just a month left before the end of winter the City of Cape Town is looking at short-term emergency water supply solutions including desalination, stormwater capture, or aquifer extraction in response to the water crisis.
According to the latest dam levels report there was a slight increase in the past week, dam levels standing at 27.3%. At the same time last year, levels were at 50%.
Mayco member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy Xanthea Limberg said augmentation schemes such as aquifer extraction, desalination plants, water reclamation and expansion of surface water schemes were all planned according to the city council’s projected water needs.
"Due to the unprecedented drought we are currently experiencing and the likely unpredictability of rainfall patterns going forward due to climate change, however, the City is now adopting a resilience-based approach whereby these schemes are being accelerated, and can be scaled up quickly if required," she said.
Limberg said the city council was in the process of partnering with the private sector to create short-term emergency solutions.
"At this stage it is too early to speak in any great detail with regard to plans for desalination, but we can confirm that we are accelerating the construction of a small pilot data collection plant which will pave the way for accelerated full-scale implementation.
"The City is exploring the rental of coastal and offshore modular desalination units to be installed at strategically suitable locations to various technical and environmental requirements and to facilitate effective supply into the reticulation network," she said.
The city council has also employed additional staff members to improve response time in water complaints.
Meanwhile, Premier Helen Zille announced she would be allocating R3.5 million to conduct emergency maintenance on the Voëlvlei canals.
Voëlvlei is an "off-channel dam", meaning it is not situated in the path of a river. In winter, water has to be diverted from several nearby rivers through a network of canals in order to fill the dam.