The City of Cape Town has confirmed that Day Zero has been pushed back to 2020 as the levels of the dams supplying water to Cape Town have been rising consistently and significantly over the past six weeks.
According to a statement issued by the city, the total dam storage capacity is at just over 43%, and it still has more than two months of expected winter rainfall ahead.
The city added that this may be compared to the situation at the end of winter last year when dam levels were at 38% and consumption was over 600 million litres a day.
“Having analysed this new data, we are now in a position to state that not only have we managed to avoid Day Zero this year, but we will also safely get through summer in 2019. This is due to the amount of water already in the dams, our intense water demand management programmes, our unrelenting communication, awareness and the behavioural change it has affected over the past two years, as well as the continued support and sacrifice of Team Cape Town,” the statement read.
The city hopes to reduce the current restrictions in the near future, and the tariffs associated with them, however, that decision is dependent on National Government relaxing restrictions on releases from the water supply system.
If the National Department of Water and Sanitation agrees to relax restrictions, the city expects to be in a position to proceed with a stepped reduction of water restrictions and the associated tariffs.
For the full statement issued by the City of Cape Town, click here