New water restriction tariffs hit Cape Town: what you need to know

[Geoff.D]

Neither the old NP, the DA nor the ANC did anything from 1990 to 2017 - 27 years - after receiving a clear written warning in the media of what was to come.

Not entirely true. The Berg river dam project is one that was planned and completed. There are others as well.

 

[Priapus]

https://m.news24.com/Analysis/jp-sm...ns-its-going-to-be-really-unpleasant-20180126

So the collection points are now 149, not 200.

He makes it sound like day zero is more than avoidable. How true is this?

 

[Gordon_R]

See water pressure in Somerset West waaaaay lower than yesterday. The dude almost closed the tap completely

The pressure at my block in Kenilworth is very low today, barely enough to reach the 6th floor apartments, and more importantly the roof water tanks.

I assume this has something to do with water saving, but we have not had such low pressures since the council started 'experimenting' in late in 2017.

One big clue: We are 2 blocks away from Kenilworth Racecourse, and preparations for tomorrow's event (The Sun Met) are likely have increased demand, hence reducing flow for surrounding areas.

https://www.news24.com/Analysis/jp-...ns-its-going-to-be-really-unpleasant-20180126

We have also been talking to the police, who process some 5000 people per day, as well as the courts and prisons that will have to keep functioning. Provincial hospitals have done a lot of work and have a very detailed plan.

In the city centres it isn't possible to supply water for the business downstairs but not the residents upstairs. You have one pipe supplying that complex of water. Unfortunately, there are a certain number of reticulation zones in the city and they are either on or off, and they're blunt and imperfect tools. You can't go and draw other, specific boundaries because of social and economic reasons.

We will be able to announce detailed plans on exactly which areas will have water and which won't, because one will have to consider how much water it will take out of the total water consumption of the city. If we want to get ourselves down to 350 million litres per day, and we can get residential users down to 200 million litres, and business and industry down to a 150 million litres, then that's what we can coast by on to get an extension until rainfall is likely.

Edit: The article actually raises more questions than answers, which is good in some ways. In the interest of efficiency, it is hard to prevent a few people from taking water more than once per day.

Edit: Some details of the cutoffs and contimued emergency supplies, would make things a lot clearer...

Edit: I have said repeatedly: the council can't turn off the main supply pipes (its too risky), only those to certain suburbs and streets. This article confirms my opinion.

 

[daveza]

He makes it sound like day zero is more than avoidable. How true is this?

I would bet my salary he is wrong.

If it all depends on everyone cutting down, forget it.

 

[genetic]

Neither the old NP, the DA nor the ANC did anything from 1990 to 2017 - 27 years - after receiving a clear written warning in the media of what was to come.

Rubbish. More Adrianax fake news.

 

[Priapus]

I don't get this. If people know they need to save or queue, as its put; then why would they choose the latter?

 

[daveza]

Because they don't believe it will happen, mainly just because 'they are entitled to their full baths and swimming pools'.

 

[PeterBee]

Neither the old NP, the DA nor the ANC did anything from 1990 to 2017 - 27 years - after receiving a clear written warning in the media of what was to come.

System capacity was boosted with the completion of the Berg River Dam in 2009. The City has done a fantastic job in improving the efficiency of its water distribution infrastructure, over an extended period, at great cost. Farmers have also adopted more efficient irrigation methods. So a lot was done.

Combined, these provided extra "breathing space", while more permanent solutions were developed and implemented. Some of these solutions were subsequently delayed or abandoned, increasing the water supply system's vulnerability to our regular periods of low rainfall, but that is not the City's fault.

My opinion - the WCWSS supply models were simply not designed and were unable to cope with three consecutive years of low rainfall. This scenario was not anticipated. It is also possible that increased drought level restrictions were delayed for political reasons (municipal elections Aug 2016), or just implemented much too late (Nov 2016 onwards), when dam levels at Dec 2015 had already collapsed to 50% (from above 70% at the end of each of the previous 5 years).

Should the system models have been able to get us through 3 consecutive years of low rainfall? That will be an ongoing debate. Should the administrators of the WCWSS be required to explain why the system failed? Yes they should.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

Managed to get 4 boxes of these (4 * 5 liter per box).

Edit: Not the Amstel!

 

[daveza]

That DeFranco youtube - Americans use 379L per day - we are going to have 25L.

 

[FiestaST]

 

[PeterBee]

Canadians use 405 litres per day. Per person. Cape drought was all over their TV news yesterday.

 

[daveza]

It takes a meter rainfall to fill Theewaterskloof....

 

[xrapidx]

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politic...-ways-to-prevent-water-day-zero-in-cape-town/

 

[daveza]

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politic...-ways-to-prevent-water-day-zero-in-cape-town/

I hope these are all experts in water management, more politicians we don't need.

 

[Gordon_R]

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politic...-ways-to-prevent-water-day-zero-in-cape-town/

He said the impending shortage of water in Cape Town showed that climate change was a reality.

Sigh, just went down a notch in my estimation!?

I guess that's easier to say on public TV than: "population growth is a reality".

 

[genelock]

Estimate or actual reading done?

estimate


any you guys received mail from Mmusi M. ?

 

[genelock]

Fellow Cape Town resident,

Day Zero is currently set for 12 April.

I am not fully satisfied with the way the City has responded to the drought crisis, and I am taking political control of managing the situation.
I have created a new Drought Crisis Team made up of the best people for the job.

The plan is to:

• Use less water

The families that have been saving water are heroes and I am incredibly grateful for their efforts. But over 50% of Capetonians are not currently saving water. In the worst drought in recorded history, the only way to defeat Day Zero is to use less water. Please use only 50 litres per person, per day.

• Add more water to the system

We plan to bring an additional 120 megalitres online by May 2018 by converting sea water into fresh water, accessing groundwater, transferring water from private dams and with water re-use. We will continue to work with the private sector to thoroughly look into other offers of assistance.

• Hold national government to account

National government is responsible for bulk water infrastructure - simply put, the building of dams - and I will hold them to account in Parliament. This is not a finger pointing exercise, it is about ensuring that the constitutional rights of citizens and ratepayers are fought for and protected.

Please visit www.defeatdayzero.co.za for weekly updates from my Drought Crisis Team or to submit a question.

We must ensure that each of us – our families, friends and fellow citizens – unite together to defeat Day Zero.

We can. And we must.

Regards,


Mmusi Maimane
DA Leader

.

 

[daveza]

We plan to bring an additional 120 megalitres online by May 2018

Wonderful - just a pity we are using 600 million litres a day, and by May that 120 million litres will be all we have.

Unite together - only a politician would say something so dumb.

 

[AchmatK]

estimate


any you guys received mail from Mmusi M. ?

Register on the city's eservices website and enter your own readings every month. I do this for both my water and electricity meter readings to avoid estimates.