A water expert is warning of the possibility of widespread water restrictions in the Western Cape, with dams supplying Cape Town only around 75% full.
Dam levels typically need to reach at least 80% by the end of October to avoid restrictions.
The City of Cape Town has asked households to reduce consumption by at least 10 percent.
CapeTalk’s Clarence Ford spoke to Teboho Mofokeng, a lecturer in the University of Cape Town’s Department of Civil Engineering and a researcher at the Future Water Institute.
Mofokeng explained that the weather phenomenon, El Niño, which has already started developing over the region, comes around every two to seven years, bringing higher temperatures and less rainfall.
“We’re nowhere close to Day Zero. I think what the municipalities are doing is creating a different culture when we are entering this El Niño cycle… Because it may last from nine to 12 months, or it may last for even longer. So, it’s hard to predict if we don’t know how long we’re going to be in the cycle for.”
“So now that we know we’re sort of at the beginning of the cycle, it’s important that we maintain the behaviours that we had at Day Zero because they are actually quite useful. And we don’t have to be within the Day Zero context to respect water and to conserve water in the way that we did in Day Zero.”
Mofokeng warned that it’s a new reality and a new norm that can affect food security in the region.
“Being that we are quite a big dominant player in maize exports. And some of the feedstock or the fodder that we plant to feed our livestock also means that the meat is going to be more expensive. And mielie meal is going to be more expensive on the shelves also.
“So, it has a multiplying effect on our ability to have reliable water sources and also on our food security.”
She urged holidaymakers coming to the Western Cape to also educate themselves.
“We are heading into the holiday season. We have hundreds of people coming from inland provinces outside of South Africa, international visitors coming to visit and coming to holiday in most of our coastal municipalities, which drives the economy during those short few months.
“But we are also getting an influx of holidaymakers who might not be sensitive to our water supply and the fact that we need to have enough for the coming year.
“And if we don’t have rains in the coming year, how we spend these short few weeks in December will be very telling of what 2027 will look like. So yes, it is serious.
“And I think we should educate our holidaymakers also, because we are all in it together. This is the beginning of a conversation that is here to stay, and we should all do our bit, because if we all do our little bit, then, you know, we contribute to conserving the water so that it lasts us a little bit longer.”
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Vicky Stark
www.ewn.co.za