The City of Cape Town has turned its back on bottled water, deciding to replace the "luxury item" at council meetings with jugs of tap water.

In a statement yesterday, the city said: "This decision was motivated by the fact that it costs the city R125000 a year to purchase 20888 bottles of water - while the city's own tap water is of a high quality."

The man behind the plan is Councilor Stuart Pringle, chairman of the corporate services portfolio committee for the City of Cape Town.

"Despite the fact that it is frighteningly expensive, we as a city are responsible for the quality of water. What message are we sending to the public if we are paying for bottled water?" he asked.

"If councilors prefer drinking bottled water, that is fine. But I don't see why ratepayers should be paying for this luxury when we have the best quality water in the country."

Pringle said the environmental impact of the city's use of bottled water was significant. "However small it might seem in the greater scheme of things, we have to set an example, and if other government departments follow suit it will make a big difference," he said.