11 Counting Down to Day Zero: Exploring Community-Based Water Management …
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drought mitigation in Western Cape Province. The results of the study are presented,
analyzed, and discussed in the thematic sub-sections below.
11.5.1 Drought-Instigated Community-Based Water
Management Strategies in Western Cape
Most of the responses (95%) were of the awareness of all the community-based
water management strategies that were coordinated by the municipalities across the
Western Cape Province. They converged that the municipalities in the Western Cape
Province managed to promote community-based water management strategies to
ensure the efficient use and reasonable access to water resources by citizens across
the drought-stricken province.
In most cases, however, it is the municipalities that introduced water services
infrastructure and the communities would devise strategies on how to manage these
at a local level to allow for sustainability, equity in water use, and order. An official
from the Western Cape Provincial Government noted;
In the cities such as the City of Cape Town, our emphasis was on a variety of initiatives
to manage the scarce water resources. Our intention was try by all means to push as far as
possible the much dreaded Day Zero by reducing increasing demand and increasing water
supply. In a drought situation this is not an easy task. We paid more attention to urban water
demand management (through water-wise approaches, tough and restrictive water tariffs) and
promoting the use of alternative water supplies (drilling of boreholes, managing communal
water points and encouraging water re-use). These two strategies helped a lot because we
managed to reduce water usage by half without creating a serious crisis of shortages. Desalination plants have also been set up. For example OSMOSUN Solar Powered Desalination
Plant in Hessequa Local Municipality constructed with co-funding from France in December
2018, and it produces 150 kiloliters of water daily. Other desalination plants are Monwabisi
Desalination Plant which produces 7 million liters per day as well as Strandfontein Desalination Plant, Quality Filtration Systems Desalination Plant and V & A Waterfront Desalination
Plant. But these are a bit expensive to set up and operate though. On its part, the Central
Government assisted with bulk water supply and storage.
The comments from the Western Cape Provincial Government resonate with
most municipalities. However, each municipality has adopted its own strategy and
approach to suit prevailing conditions and magnitude of water crisis depending on
demand and supply constraints. In the City of Cape Town employed Day Zero Water
Restrictions as a strategy. These were also adopted in several municipalities within
their urban areas. What residents would do was to put in place mechanisms to ensure
cooperation from residents themselves. A City of Cape Town official hinted;
When we initially put Day Zero at 22 April 2018, and later 20 May 2018 water consumption
per person was put at 87 L per day, targeting an overall city water consumption of 500 million
liters per day. By then we had plans to abstract more groundwater from three aquifers
at Cape Flats, Table Mountain and Atlantis together with the Water Re-use Projects at
Zandvliet, Cape Flats, Macassar, Potsdam and Ahtlone in addition to spring water and river
water projects at Newlands, Oranjezicht, and Lourensriver as part of our Cape Town City
201
drought mitigation in Western Cape Province. The results of the study are presented,
analyzed, and discussed in the thematic sub-sections below.
11.5.1 Drought-Instigated Community-Based Water
Management Strategies in Western Cape
Most of the responses (95%) were of the awareness of all the community-based
water management strategies that were coordinated by the municipalities across the
Western Cape Province. They converged that the municipalities in the Western Cape
Province managed to promote community-based water management strategies to
ensure the efficient use and reasonable access to water resources by citizens across
the drought-stricken province.
In most cases, however, it is the municipalities that introduced water services
infrastructure and the communities would devise strategies on how to manage these
at a local level to allow for sustainability, equity in water use, and order. An official
from the Western Cape Provincial Government noted;
In the cities such as the City of Cape Town, our emphasis was on a variety of initiatives
to manage the scarce water resources. Our intention was try by all means to push as far as
possible the much dreaded Day Zero by reducing increasing demand and increasing water
supply. In a drought situation this is not an easy task. We paid more attention to urban water
demand management (through water-wise approaches, tough and restrictive water tariffs) and
promoting the use of alternative water supplies (drilling of boreholes, managing communal
water points and encouraging water re-use). These two strategies helped a lot because we
managed to reduce water usage by half without creating a serious crisis of shortages. Desalination plants have also been set up. For example OSMOSUN Solar Powered Desalination
Plant in Hessequa Local Municipality constructed with co-funding from France in December
2018, and it produces 150 kiloliters of water daily. Other desalination plants are Monwabisi
Desalination Plant which produces 7 million liters per day as well as Strandfontein Desalination Plant, Quality Filtration Systems Desalination Plant and V & A Waterfront Desalination
Plant. But these are a bit expensive to set up and operate though. On its part, the Central
Government assisted with bulk water supply and storage.
The comments from the Western Cape Provincial Government resonate with
most municipalities. However, each municipality has adopted its own strategy and
approach to suit prevailing conditions and magnitude of water crisis depending on
demand and supply constraints. In the City of Cape Town employed Day Zero Water
Restrictions as a strategy. These were also adopted in several municipalities within
their urban areas. What residents would do was to put in place mechanisms to ensure
cooperation from residents themselves. A City of Cape Town official hinted;
When we initially put Day Zero at 22 April 2018, and later 20 May 2018 water consumption
per person was put at 87 L per day, targeting an overall city water consumption of 500 million
liters per day. By then we had plans to abstract more groundwater from three aquifers
at Cape Flats, Table Mountain and Atlantis together with the Water Re-use Projects at
Zandvliet, Cape Flats, Macassar, Potsdam and Ahtlone in addition to spring water and river
water projects at Newlands, Oranjezicht, and Lourensriver as part of our Cape Town City