With the dam levels at 37.5 %, and usable water at 27.5 %, the City of Cape Town plans to install about 2 000 water clamps a week on the properties of excessive users.
The devices will be set at 350 litres a day to force consumption down among those ignoring water restrictions which stipulate an individual daily usage of 87 litres.
As from September 3 the City of Cape Town has taken several steps to drive down water consumption. This includes the institution of Level 5 restrictions and a further increase in pressure management.
Sheval Arendse, chairman of Sub-council 12, said at last week’s sub-council meeting, on Thursday September 21 at the Lentegeur Chambers, that on top of the 87-litre limit there was now a 20 kl per month cap on individual domestic property usage, beyond which the property owner would be subject to a very high fine.
“An engagement with the chief magistrate is forthcoming, but the fines are expected to be in the region of R5 000 to R10 000,” he said.
Lewine Walters, the area manager at Wolfgat Nature Reserve presented the annual report for the financial year.
Speaking about the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), she said it was one of six floral kingdoms in the world and recognised as such owing to its incredibly rich biodiversity.
“It is a global biodiversity hot spot (one of 37) because 70% of its biodiversity is endemic to the area and is under threat of extinction,” she said.
Ms Walters added that the core CFR covered only 7 % – a tiny fraction – of South Africa, yet was one of the highest priorities to conserve.
She said 336 adults and 125 children had visited the Wolfgat Multipurpose Environmental Education Centre, from June last year to June this year. Eleven groups had also visited from the community and City of Cape Town departments.
Ms Walters said the facility was being well used for other activities including camps, fun runs and walks and exhibitions.
She said the centre promoted environmental education and had had 30 schools, 3 270 pupils and 78 teachers over the past year.
