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

[theratman]

All good and well, but how about giving out information regarding the desalination plants? How far along is the planning and time frame to first switch on for first plant. Madam Mayor....I am sorry to break the news to you, but you are going to need this one way or the other. Best keep your citizens abreast of it and where in the process you are with it.

I've been barking up that tree for a while now but I get alot of stick of it. All they are doing is restricting water, not creating it. Promises promises promises

 

[genelock]

All good and well, but how about giving out information regarding the desalination plants? How far along is the planning and time frame to first switch on for first plant. Madam Mayor....I am sorry to break the news to you, but you are going to need this one way or the other. Best keep your citizens abreast of it and where in the process you are with it.

According to her if we keep to the 500mil lit/day we'll have water up to March 2018
After that we'll have to become vampires

 

[HavocXphere]

Cape Town - The Western Cape government is implementing a R295m emergency programme to get through the drought disaster and avoid ''Day Zero'', Premier Helen Zille said on Thursday.

“This drought is one of biggest disasters that has hit the province for a very long time and, despite predictions to the contrary, it has been a very low rainfall year,” Premier Helen Zille told reporters in Cape Town.

Between 2014 and the present, the province's dams have gone from overflowing to about 32% capacity. With spring heralding the end of the winter rainfall period, residents' long baths and watering of gardens are not the only things at stake.

An estimated 17 000 jobs in the agricultural industry could be lost. An estimated 10% drop in agricultural output would cost the economy R3.2bn, provincial agriculture department head Joyene Isaacs said.

The drought has resulted in reduced agricultural activity and less demand for workers. Seasonal workers would be the first to be turned away, she warned.

The lack of fodder would leave livestock vulnerable to diseases such as blowfly and avian influenza, and higher incidences of pests and bacteria in crops.

A total of 24 outbreaks of avian flu have been reported in South Africa this year. The Western Cape has been flagged as one of the regions of a localised outbreak. South Africa is one of 47 countries globally battling the H5N8 virus since January.

The only silver lining is that the next wine crop will likely be of exceptional quality, said Isaacs. However, table grapes will suffer.

According to economic development MEC Alan Winde, the worst-case scenario could be a total ban on irrigation during summer, raising job losses to 20 000.

The Springfontein and Gamka dams, near Beaufort West, are already empty, said local government department head, Graham Paulse.

The R295m will allow the provincial government to take extraordinary measures to get through province through summer into the winter of 2018. Normal rainfall might resume then. The figure includes R75m national government has made available.

Work has already started on equipping and commissioning five boreholes, to connect them to the reclamation plant to supply Beaufort West with water.

The river at the Kannaland extraction point, in the Central Karoo, is dry. Another 12 boreholes there are supplying water.

The Akkerkloof dam in the Knysna municipality is 30% full and has 21 days of water left. Upgrades to the Charlesford dam experienced a severe setback when pipes were destroyed in the June fires.

“We are one step away from level 5 emergency restrictions,” said Colin Deiner, head of disaster management in the province.

Cape Town and surrounding municipalities are at level 4 restrictions, which limit household water use to drinking, washing, and cooking.

Deiner recently oversaw emergency responses to fires that decimated at least 150 000 hectares in the province.

“We are in a pretty dire situation now with the sheer volume of disasters,” he said.

Another 11 municipalities have been added to the disaster focus list for either hydrological or drought disasters. They are: Drakenstein, Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, Swartland, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Kannaland, George, Langeberg, and Beaufort West.

Municipalities will be asked to supply their water supply situation, and their water management plans and, if necessary, be told to tighten their water restrictions.

Deiner said there will be planning exercises for “Day Zero”, when the province’s water runs out. Sites are being identified where private contractors, municipalities, and the SA National Defence Force will deliver water by tankers.

Experts are exploring the use of emergency water purification systems, akin to those used by the army.

In the meantime, the City of Cape Town has issued tenders for three desalination plants, as part of plans to bring another 500 million litres (ML) of water into the system.

Current water use in the city is 599ML per day. The city wants to bring this down to 500ML.

Zille said there is no need to panic.

Plans are underway to “expertly” tap aquifers, and for desalination plants to be built. Licences for new boreholes have finally been granted after delays in issuing them were raised with President Jacob Zuma this week.

Zille said that within 24 hours of bringing the delays to Zuma's attention, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane approved them from Sweden, where she was attending a conference.

News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/western-cape-r295m-day-zero-water-plan-kicks-in-20170831

I hope they're talking industrial sized boreholes here. Glad to see they're finally doing something though

 

[Rouxenator]

Blah Blah Blah - go and have a look at the dams for yourself. Top notch BS news.

 

[biometrics]

Blah Blah Blah - go and have a look at the dams for yourself. Top notch BS news.

Are they full?

 

[Rouxenator]

Full enough. Besides, come December half of the population in the Cape gets on buses to "go home" for the holidays.

 

[The_Mowgs]

Full enough. Besides, come December half of the population in the Cape gets on buses to "go home" for the holidays.

Even though they are full (ish), sending out media statements asking people to use less water is not the solution and they are being retarded.

 

[biometrics]

Are they full?

https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=20291147

Full enough. Besides, come December half of the population in the Cape gets on buses to "go home" for the holidays.

Theewaterskloof 25%
Voelvlei 23%

Supplies most of Cape Town. So you're talking ***.

 

[schumi]

#WaterCrisis: Private supply tenders soar

Cape Town - As the water crisis in Cape Town grows ever more dire, the municipality announced that more than 1 600 interested parties had downloaded the tender specifications for the first phase of its Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for water supply augmentation projects.

The City is looking to add some 500 million litres per day of non-surface water to its dwindling storage supplies.

"The tender specifications for the first water augmentation RFP have been downloaded more than 1 600 times," the City said in a statement. "This is within the first week or so of having issued the first of multiple tenders to come for augmenting water supply. It is part of a basket of existing drought interventions that the City has, including large-scale pressure reduction, compulsory water restriction of excessive users, enforcement as well as voluntary initiatives to reduce consumption."

The tenders would be crucial to propping up the city's water supply, as Level 5 restrictions are implemented across the metro.

The restrictions would include "water-shedding", where supply pressure would be decreased in a bid to force residents to conserve water.

"The City’s technical experts scrutinised the submissions and were able to determine, with a significantly higher degree of clarity, the feasibility, potential cost and time-frames of commissioning various options from procurement to delivery," the City's chief resilience officer Craig Kesson said. "Hence, an extensive procurement plan could be developed and procurement has commenced.

"The next eight months will be critical. According to our calculations, we need to bring consumption down to 500 million litres of water, and therefore build up reserves to help us to get through as much of the summer as possible, towards winter 2018. Reducing consumption still remains absolutely vital.

"On the other hand, we must introduce supply augmentation schemes. Various processes must be finalised. This includes the finalisation and issuing of approximately 20 tenders for the various required schemes over the next few weeks and months. The scale of what we are doing is unprecedented in all regards. As soon as time-frames become available, this will be communicated. It is envisaged that all of our emergency schemes will be implemented to some degree within the next eight months. This has been a result of months of detailed planning which has built on years of detailed planning.

More at: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/watercrisis-private-supply-tenders-soar-11022007

 

[2023]

Wonder if the NCA has any application when the city makes home owners to pay for the water throttling devices installed without consent?

 

[Splinter]

Ah...good...another press release - its worked wonders so far.

Can't wait for the one where they restrict my grey water.

I think these things have worked. We have decreased our water consumption massively. Just some retards who think it does not apply to them.

 

[theratman]

I think these things have worked. We have decreased our water consumption massively. Just some retards who think it does not apply to them.

It's not about reducing water that's what the city gets wrong. It's about generating water. If you have 100l total and restrict from 10 to 5 to 1 you are only delaying the inevitable point where there is no water left. Also people are using less water because it's winter. My grass and garden are looking great without watering.

 

[Splinter]

It's not about reducing water that's what the city gets wrong. It's about generating water. If you have 100l total and restrict from 10 to 5 to 1 you are only delaying the inevitable point where there is no water left. Also people are using less water because it's winter. My grass and garden are looking great without watering.

The City may be coming late to the party, but your comment is also revealing. You going to water your grass and garden when it stops raining?

 

[xrapidx]

I think these things have worked. We have decreased our water consumption massively. Just some retards who think it does not apply to them.

How bout they stop shoving it down peoples throats and actually take action against these people? Tired of hearing how we must keep working together - yet not much done about abusers - which include the city - report a burst main - wait hours for it to be attended to.

It's not about reducing water that's what the city gets wrong. It's about generating water. If you have 100l total and restrict from 10 to 5 to 1 you are only delaying the inevitable point where there is no water left. Also people are using less water because it's winter. My grass and garden are looking great without watering.

This

 

[Splinter]

How bout they stop shoving it down peoples throats and actually take action against these people? Tired of hearing how we must keep working together - yet not much done about abusers - which include the city - report a burst main - wait hours for it to be attended to.

Have you listened to the news today? The city is looking to implement fines for those abusing water. Speaking to magistrates court or some such.

As some have said, the legalities might be complex.

 

[Splinter]

This

A question - what is your monthly water consumption? Do you even know?

 

[The_Mowgs]

Giving out fines will not ensure that there's enough water. Subsidising well points and boreholes is a start.

What have they done since 2005 to ensure the growing number of residents have enough water?? Fokkol, thats what they have done.

 

[xrapidx]

Have you listened to the news today? The city is looking to implement fines for those abusing water. Speaking to magistrates court or some such.

As some have said, the legalities might be complex.

Yeh - have you? They've been saying that for months.

A question - what is your monthly water consumption? Do you even know?

Usually R50-R80. I've been building since May so its sitting between R100-R150.

700m2 property - green garden - a pool - a 8 seater jacuzzi - three dogs - full time domestic doing laundry daily.

What's yours? Do you even know?

 

[Splinter]

Yeh - have you? They've been saying that for months.



Usually R50-R80. I've been building since May so its sitting between R100-R150.

700m2 property - green garden - a pool - a 8 seater jacuzzi - three dogs - full time domestic doing laundry daily.

What's yours? Do you even know?

Yes I do know. I go onto the CT municipal website where I can see my water consumption (as opposed to paying a water bill and judging it from that).

Under 4kl's a month. No payment required as far as I know.

Now, what does the size of your property, your pool, a jacuzzi and 3 dogs have to do with anything?

 

[Splinter]

Giving out fines will not ensure that there's enough water. Subsidising well points and boreholes is a start.

What have they done since 2005 to ensure the growing number of residents have enough water?? Fokkol, thats what they have done.

Do you live in the Western Cape?