Cape Chamber of Commerce throws its weight behind desalination
The desalination of sea water on an appropriate scale is now both viable and necessary in coastal towns, the Cape Chamber of Commerce says. The chamber has submitted a letter detailing its views on desalination to the Department of Water and Sanitation, which is developing a water master plan for the future. "One of the proposals made to the Cape Town City Council was to build a large desalination plant to produce about 250-million litres of water a day, about 30% of Cape Town’s needs in a normal year. When this desalinated water was blended with 70% dam water the result would be an increase in tariffs of just 6.54%," said Janine Myburgh, the president of the Cape chamber. A large-scale desalination plant is seen as a long-term solution to Cape Town’s water problems. However, there are concerns that the cost of maintaining such a plant would result in residents paying more for water. Desalination removes salt and other minerals from sea water, making it suitable for human consumptio...
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