Western Cape gets its water warning
The Western Cape provincial government has cautioned residents to use water responsibly.
|||Cape Town - The water situation in the Western Cape, while not yet in need of province-wide restrictions, required responsible use by all residents, the provincial government said on Thursday.
“The provincial water situation is being assessed on an ongoing basis,” said Anton Bredell, the province’s MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
Currently, only two areas in the province required water restrictions - one on the West Coast and the other in the Central Karoo.
In order to contain the need for restrictions, Bredell urged residents to use water more responsibly, following tips such as re-using bath or shower water in the garden, closing the tap when brushing teeth, and fixing any dripping taps.
Bredell said that the lowered dam levels - between 70 to 75 percent - fell in line with decreasing rainfall patterns over the last few years.
“Predictions show that rainfall will decrease further over years to come. We must therefore use water wisely,” he said.
The province last experienced a major drought in 2010 to 2011 and according to government, they were hard at work putting lessons learned into practice.
“The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre (WCDMC) is currently hard at work updating its preparedness plans in the event of an escalation with regards to water challenges in the Western Cape.”
African News Agency
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