Cape Town set to start using last 10% of water in its dams

25 May 2017 - 19:25 By TMG Digital/Timeslive
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Theewaterskloof Dam during a severe drought in the Western Cape. File photo
Theewaterskloof Dam during a severe drought in the Western Cape. File photo
Image: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

Water minister Nomvula Momkonyane has said that a plan to access the last 10% of the water in Cape Town's dams will take effect next week.

The deputy director-general of water affairs and sanitation‚ Trevor Balzer‚ said the last 10% of stored water would guarantee supply for the city of four million people for another 11 to 14 weeks.

Speaking during a media tour at Theewaterskloof Dam‚ Cape Town’s biggest‚ Balzer said work would start next week on a diversion weir and a canal at the dam.

This would move the remaining water in the dam to the intake tower. Construction would cost between R3-million to R5-million‚ and the weir and canal would be permanent so they could be used in future dry spells.

  • WATCH: God help us - Cape Town religious leaders pray for rainReligious leaders gathered on Table Mountain to pray for rain on Thursday. 

“We are going to have to bring in some emergency pumps at some stage‚” Balzer added.

He said he disagreed with critics who blamed the government’s management of the drought for the water shortage.

“I think that we managed the situation very well ... it’s 40 years since our dams have been as low as they are‚ so it’s an unusual event.”

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille prayed for an answer to the city’s water crisis on Thursday.

De Lille hosted an inter-faith prayer meeting for rain on Thursday at Table Mountain’s lower cableway station.

“This week‚ our dam level storage stands at 20.7%. With the last 10% of the water mostly being unusable‚ dam levels are effectively at 10.7%‚” she told the religious leaders who attended.

  • Parched Cape budgets R3bn to fight off Day ZeroWestern Cape Premier Helen Zille declared the province a disaster area as it tried to deal with its worst water shortage in 113 years. 

The city council was spending R315-million on emergency schemes‚ and “as I have called on residents and businesses to work with us‚ I am also calling to religious leaders to help us and pray for rain”.

De Lille added: “I ask that the prayers for rain continue each day and every time you gather your congregants.”

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