The City of Cape Town has urged residents to use water sparingly amid continued load shedding affecting the water supply.
- The City of Cape Town has appealed to residents to use water sparingly amid continued load shedding.
- The city says power cuts affect the functioning of its pump stations.
- It says continued load shedding could see some high-lying areas face challenges with water pressure.
The City of Cape Town has urged residents to use water sparingly amid continued load shedding, which is affecting the water supply.
Acting MMC for Water and Sanitation, councillor Siseko Mbandezi said prolonged load shedding affected the ability of water treatment plants to sustain production and the pump stations, which ensure the movement of water through the supply network.
Mbandezi said the daily water consumption in the city exceeded 900 million litres, which is significantly more than the daily target of R850 million litres.
“The potential knock-on effect impacts the city’s ability to fill up reservoirs as quickly as may be required to meet demand,” Mbandezi warned.
He said water pumps might not efficiently supply water in high-lying areas due to load shedding.
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“Some higher-lying areas may experience low water pressure or supply disruptions in the event of power outages affecting the booster water pump stations required to convey water to the reservoirs supplying the higher-lying areas across the city,” the acting MMC said.
Mbandezi urged residents to adopt water-saving strategies to ensure sufficient supply.
These are some of the regulations that are in place at all times:
- Hosepipes used for watering or washing vehicles (when permitted) must be fitted with a controlling device such as a spray nozzle or automatic self-closing device.
- Watering is only allowed before 09:00 or after 18:00. This applies to watering and irrigation with municipal drinking water and is also recommended for alternative water e.g., borehole and well-point water.
- All swimming pools must be covered to avoid evaporation when not in use.
- Only flush toilets and do washing when necessary. This will also help reduce pressure on the sewer network, and wastewater treatment works.
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