The municipality of the City of Cape Town has appealed for assistance in conserving the city’s water supplies after warning on Thursday that the storage dams supplying the city were currently sitting at only 53,6% full, compared to 86,6% the previous year.
The current levels were the lowest for eight years, Councillor Saleem Mowzer revealed, due to the unusually low levels of rainfall experienced so far during the winter.
“This is causing some concern and will be monitored closely over the coming weeks and months,” Mowzer noted.
“Local Authority representatives and Agriculture met with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) on Wednesday to discuss the current storage levels of the dams supplying the city and to assess what the situation may be like at the end of winter. Should no significant rainfall occur before October 2003, the dam levels will not recover sufficiently and more intensive water restrictions may have to be considered as summer approaches.”
This decision will, however, only be taken at a meeting between DWAF and all water users in October 2003, he said.
“Given the current situation, please help the city to conserve our existing water supplies by managing your water use wisely and efficiently. The city appeals to all water users to comply with the existing water restriction, namely that no watering of gardens or lawns is permitted between the hours of 10am and 4pm.” – I-Net Bridge