National Cape Town school asks pupils to bring drinking water with them to class BL PREMIUM

Cape Town pupils will start the year bringing their own bottled drinking water to at least one high school, which is taking drastic steps to mitigate the effects of a looming water crisis. Bergvliet High School outlined its strategy in a circular to parents and staff on Monday. It illustrates how significant the effect of the drought and water shortage is on daily life in the city. When pupils return to school‚ they will have limited access to drinking water and some toilet facilities will be closed. "As the water crisis heightens in the Western Cape in general and Cape Town in particular‚ Bergvliet High School is obliged to take measures to reduce our water consumption‚" said the notice from principal Stephen Price. Efforts to reduce water consumption will include the following: • Upstairs toilets will be closed due to a lack of water pressure capable of reaching the second floor. • Downstairs toilets being open before school‚ at breaks and after school — otherwise locked with keys...