The City of Cape Town yesterday began issuing notices to some of its biggest household and commercial water wasters in an effort to further reduce consumption.

Last week, it was revealed that Western Cape’s dam levels are the lowest in the country and the city has been lamenting the high municipal water usage over the weeks, urging to residents to reduce it.

It even bumped water restrictions up to level 3b, to tighten rules around when and how water can be used. Those who are found not adhering to restrictions are liable for a R5 000 fine.

As of yesterday, dam levels supplying Cape Town dropped to 37.5% , down 1.7% from a week ago. With the last 10% of a dam’s water not being useable, this means dam levels are effectively at 27.5%.

Water consumption is eight million litres above the 800 million litre target for collective water usage per day.

“On analysis of water accounts, some high use consumers’ January 2017 consumption is between 50 000 litres and 300 000 litres per month. This is excessive. The city has warned these users to reduce consumption immediately to below the region of 20 000 litres per month,” the city said.

In addition to the top 20 000 residential consumers, the city is also stepping up enforcement within the commercial sector and government departments.

‘Those who will not reduce their consumption voluntarily, as so many of our law-abiding and conscientious residents have done, will increasingly be forced to reduce consumption. The installation of water management devices would assist households, businesses and other users with more efficiently managing their water consumption and this would result in financial savings as well,’ said the City’s MMC for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services and Energy, Xanthea Limberg.

Mayor Patricia de Lille has even taken it upon herself to personally call businesses, hotels and government departments to do an on the spot to check up on their water use.

“Where water use is inexplicably high, I am advising them to reduce their consumption immediately. This morning I personally contacted the heads of several major commercial consumers to inform them that their water consumption is extremely high and on a level that we can ill afford,” de Lille said.

“Many of them were shocked to learn how high their consumption actually is and immediately undertook to investigate the reasons for their excessive consumption and to implement water-saving measures.”

[Image – CC Marina Shemesh]