Capetonians urged to reduce water use as dam levels drop

Capetonians have been urged to reduce water consumption after below-average rainfall during the 2022 rainy season has left dam levels supplying the city almost 25% lower now than they were at this time last year.

The city is lobbying residents and businesses to aim for a collective usage target of 850-million litres a day to mitigate the risk of potential below average winter rainfall and reliability of supply — such as the ability to replenish reservoirs — due to continuous load-shedding.

“The dams supplying Cape Town are losing, on average, about 2% of total dam capacity per week,” said mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. “This past week we have used 949-million litres daily. This is 99-million litres daily over the collective use target.

“Cape Town’s dams are above 50%, but our [computer] models show levels will drop below 50% by the end of summer if we don’t meet this proactive water savings target. This may increase the need for water restrictions down the line, which we would ideally want to avoid.”

The city provided a list of steps being taken by authorities to address the issue and advice for residents to reduce consumption.

What is the city doing?

• Reducing water wastage through programmes such as leak detection, replacing and repairing pipes, and pressure management.
• Investing in an new, online water programme coupled with an investment of about R5bn over the next eight years. Additional water supply (300-million litres a day) is expected to come on stream by 2030 from diverse sources to act as a buffer against droughts.
• The Table Mountain group aquifer delivered its first water in 2020. The first groundwater to be injected into the supply network from the Cape Flats aquifer is expected towards the middle of this year.
• Targeting a 55-billion litre annual reduction in water loss by stepping the clearing of alien vegetation.

“We believe reducing our water use is the responsible step to take, both in terms of load-shedding disruptions and in case we again have below-average winter rainfall,” said councillor Siseko Mbandezi, acting MMC for water and sanitation.

“Capetonians can help by reducing outdoor water use, such as watering gardens, filling or topping up pools, and following the permanent water use regulations. Together we can achieve a waterwise Cape Town.”

What can residents do?

Indoors:

• Find and fix leaks; high water use may indicate an undetected leak. 
• Flush toilets only when necessary.
• Take short showers and shallow baths
• Wait for a full load before using washing machines and dishwashers. 
• Turn off taps when not using the flow and use a cup for shaving and brushing teeth.

Outdoors:

• Hosepipes for washing vehicles, boats and caravans must be fitted with an automatic self-closing device or nozzle.
• Water gardens before 9am or after 6pm to reduce loss by evaporation.
• Cover built-in and foldaway pools when not in use to reduce evaporation.
• Recycle the backwash and top up with rainwater or alternative water if possible.

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