CT’s first permanent desalination plant being planned for Paarden EiIand

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town's first permanent desalination plant to make seawater drinkable is being planned for the Paarden Eiland area.  

It's part of the City of Cape Town's 2030 strategy to increase drinking water supply in case of future droughts.  

City Mayco member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the strategy involved desalination, water reuse, clearing of invasive plant species, and groundwater schemes.  

"Protecting our city from any future droughts is top of the agenda in Water and Sanitation, and part of our new water programme is our commitment to ensure that by 2030, we're producing 300 million litres of new water from new water sources."  

Badroodien said the desalination plant is expected to produce between 50 and 70 million litres of water per day.  

"Desalination is such a critical part of our city's action plan to provide for increased demand for drinking water into the future and also taking into consideration the threat of climatic shocks as well as any future droughts."  

Badroodien said the city was investing R43 billion in water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years.