Recently, Cape Town’s water consumption has skyrocketed to 39 million litres over the daily allocation, making our total daily consumption a shocking 689 million litres per day. Thus, causing dam levels to drop by 0.6%.
According to the City of Cape Town’s media office, Capetonians have somewhat forgotten about the close call we had with day zero. CCT would like to remind residents that winter rainfall was below average for the past 5 years, so the water crisis is still far from over.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Xanthea Limberg, urges Capetonians to continue to save water. She claims that although the current water consumption is not a huge concern yet, it is uncertain what the rainfall will be like in the coming years. It is therefore important to continue with water wise habits in order to be better prepared for the possibility of the drought intensifying within the next hydro-logical year.
Limberg also appealed to residents to take note of the city’s water restriction updates to ensure we do not have another close call with day zero.
In case we have all forgotten how to be water wise, here are just a few tips:
- If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.
- Use grey water from the shower or bath to water plants and flush toilets.
- Shower for 90 seconds or less.
- When washing your hair, use a jug or measuring cup to rinse, in order to avoid using too much water.
- Instead of using your hosepipe, opt for using a bucket when washing your car.
- Make sure that taps are properly turned off after use.
- Fix any water pipe leakages in and around your home.
- Report any public water issues to the city via: Whatsapp – 063 407 3699, Email – water@capetown.gov.za or SMS – 31373
