City of Cape Town calls for immediate water saving to avert looming restrictions

The City of Cape Town has urged residents to be more water-wise while the municipality invests in new supply projects to secure the metro's water needs.
 
In the past week, water usage in Cape Town increased to 1 billion litres a day, 83 million litres a day over the usage target.
 
The high water usage, coupled with a recent heat wave, resulted in dam levels hitting 50.4 per cent.
 
The city has since warned of looming water restrictions if current usage trends and low rainfall persist.
  
After coming close to "Day Zero" in 2018 the city’s water and sanitation directorate says it has accelerated pipe upgrades, tightened pressure management, fixed leaks faster and strengthened infrastructure across the network.
 
City MAYCO member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said that residents should also be playing their part.

 "Fixing leaks, using water wisely in our homes, and reporting burst pipes immediately, will help us ensure we reduce water losses as far as possible."    
 
Badroodien said that the city aims to add 300 million litres a day to Cape Town’s supply by 2030 using desalination plants, groundwater schemes and a water re-use strategy.