Cape Town is still undergoing a major drought, and despite the recent rains, which are considerably less than in previous years, the dams are still very empty and Level 4B Water Restrictions are still in place.
In response to the crisis, the City has convened a Water Advisory Committee made up of experts from various fields – academia, business, and civil society. A Water Resilience Task Team has also been established to co-ordinate the City’s response to the crisis.
The City has posted various responses to local queries about what it intends doing:
Desalination: A Request for Information (RFI) to find possible not-for-profit and for-profit businesses willing to enter into a partnership with the City to establish water reclamation and desalination plants has been posted. The goal is to have the first plant in operation by the end of August for a minimum of six months.
Aquifer Extraction: Studying extraction of some of the city’s extensive underground water from the Cape Folded Mountain Belt, or Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer, which runs from Vanrhynsdorp to Mossel Bay. The project is delayed due to a national project that takes priority: the Berg River to Voelvlei Augmentation Scheme. The aquifer extraction is therefore only scheduled for 2022 to 2026.
Reclaiming Camissa: An advocacy group called “Reclaim Camissa” is urging the City to use water from this spring that flows through a series of underground tunnels from Table Mountain into the sea. The City, however, has found that it is not worth the expense as filtration and disinfection barriers would be required to protect community health, and additional staff would be required to control the treatment process. According to the City, it would be more cost-effective to use the water for alternative purposes, like irrigation and industry.
Water Reclamation: The City “has set the wheels in motion” for a wastewater reuse plant at the Zandvliet WasteWater Treatment Works.
Most of the dams that supply water to the City are constructed in regions with little silt deposit accumulation, and while options to raise one or two smaller dams in the system exist and are under consideration, there is no dredging of dams planned at this stage.
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