Deputy Mayor of Cape Town Ian Neilson says Day Zero for 2019 can be averted if water restrictions are maintained.

In statement released recently the Deputy Mayor noted that Cape Town’s dam levels have been rising consistently over the past six weeks with total dam storage capacity sitting at just over 43%.

Neilson noted that the City’s collective water usage has been around 520 million litres per day over the last few months which may be compared to the situation at the end of winter last year, when dam levels were at 38% and consumption was over 600 million litres a day.

He said the city was now in a position to state that not only have they avoided Day Zero, but Cape Town residents will also safely get through summer in 2019.

A better position

This is due to the amount of water already in the dams, intense water demand management programmes, unrelenting communication, awareness and the behavioural change it has effected over the past two years, as well as the continued support and sacrifice of Team Cape Town.

“We are now in a much better position, not only due to the encouraging rainfall we have seen so far, but also because of the incredible cooperation of our residents and due to the various technological and human interventions initiated by this municipality to drive down consumption,” said the Deputy Mayor.

Relaxing restrictions

Neilson said while the city hopes at some point in the next few months to be in a position to relax the current restrictions, this decision will have to wait until national government relaxes restrictions on releases from the water supply system.

He has requested a meeting with the Minister of Water and Sanitation Gugile Nkwinti to discuss this.