The drought situation in Cape Town has become so severe that Mayor Patricia de Lille has officially declared it a local disaster.

The City of Cape Town announced that with dam levels supplying the city being at 31.5%, which is 1.6% down from a week ago, and only 113 days of useable water left, de Lille declared a local disaster in terms of Section 55 of the Disaster Management Act.

The declaration has been promulgated in the Western Cape Provincial Gazette and is valid for three months but can be extended on a month-to-month basis by notice in the Gazette. A Council decision is not required.

The City may now invoke emergency procurement procedures if required to expedite the emergency and accelerated water resource schemes.

:The City is continuing its monitoring and engagement with the top 20 000 consumers across residential, business, industrial and government properties to ensure that they bring their consumption down,” said Cape Town MMC Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services, Xanthea Limberg.

“Those who have not played an active saving role must do so immediately by ensuring that their homes are water-efficient, that they fix their leaks – both above ground and underground – and that they continue to implement no- to low-cost water-saving techniques,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for,” she said.

The city recently managed to reduce its water consumption to 783 million litres from 800 million litres, but said residents need to continue saving water to bring the number further down.

]Image – CC CR Rodger]