The time to save water is when there is water to save and even though the City of Cape Town’s water restrictions have dropped from Level 5 to Level 3, there are those in the community who are still diligently carrying on with their water-saving methods.
One school for whom saving has become a habit is Beacon Hill High School in Beacon Valley. Principal Gregory Kannemeyer said the school will stick to the old methods of saving water.
“We have hand sanitisers to save water in bathrooms. We encourage our pupils to bring water to school and use the borehole to source water from. We restricted ourselves from using (municipal) water to water the gardens,” he said.
“The water restrictions dropping should not allow us to use water the way we want to but to continue using water sparingly. We should play our part in making water go further for our future generations,” said Mr Kannemeyer.
Under Level 3 restrictions, the personal usage per day went from 70 litres to 105 litres per person per day while overall, the City water usage target increased from 500 million to 650 million litres per day.
The levels of the major dams which supply Cape Town, including the Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenbras Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek, was at 68.8% storage on Friday December 14.
No new water management devices (WMDs) will be installed for water restriction contraventions under Level 3 water restrictions. The City will reset WMDs for residents who had a WMD installed due to a previous water restriction contravention and who are not in arrears with municipal payments. You do not need to apply for this.
Norman Jantjes, chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain United Residents’ Association (MURA), said the City should drop the levies (fixed charges).
However, the City said the fixed charge is a permanent feature now and unrelated to the restriction level. This charge is based on the size of the water connection to your property.
“Mura welcomes the new water restrictions. The community can do things they were not able to in the past and it is also cheaper. We still feel that the City should remove the levy we are paying for,” said Mr Jantjes.
The drop in restrictions means that residents can now fill private pools but, despite this, the Eastridge public swimming pool will still be the only one open during the festive season in Mitchell’s Plain.
Solomon Philander, Ward 79 councillor, which includes Beacon Valley, parts of Portland, Mitchell’s Plain central business district and parts of Eastridge, said he took a test dip in the pool last month.
“The pool was filled with fresh water, with a pump and water purifier. There is no need for the swimming pool to get more water at this point.”
He said the area is well guarded by double barrier fencing and lifeguards will be on duty. The staff at the swimming pool will manage crowd control for the intake of the day, said Mr Philander. The swimming pool can accommodate a maximum of 786 people.
It will be open from Saturday December 1 to Saturday February 2, Monday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Level 3 water restrictions:
● Watering with municipal drinking water using a bucket or watering can is allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays before 9am or after 6pm for a maximum of one hour per day per property.
● Topping up or filling of swimming pools with municipal drinking water is allowed subject to;
1 the pool being covered with a non-permeable solid pool cover when not in use and
2 the recovery of backwash water and the use of rainwater for pool topping up where practically possible.
● Vehicles, trailers, caravans and boats may be washed with municipal drinking water using a bucket.
● Commercial car washes may use municipal drinking water
subject to industry best practice water conservation norms and the recycling of at least 50% of water used.
● Spray parks may operate subject to their strict management to minimise water use.
● Sports facilities, parks, schools, learning institutions, nurseries, customers involved in agricultural activities, users with historical gardens and customers with special requirements can apply to the director of water and sanitation for exemption from the above.
● No watering/ irrigation with municipal drinking water within 48 hours of rainfall that provides adequate saturation.
● No washing or hosing down of hard-surfaced or paved areas with municipal drinking water allowed.
● Water users, such as abattoirs, food processing industries, care facilities, animal shelters and other industries or facilities with special needs (health/ safety related only) must apply for exemption.
Customers are strongly encouraged to install water-efficient parts, fittings and technologies to minimise water use at all taps, showerheads and other plumbing components
For more information on the water restrictions, visit http://bit.do/L3-tariffs.