While Johannesburg is waterlogged by ongoing storms and flooding, Cape Town withers in the grip of the relentless drought.
The reality of Day Zero, when taps are turned off in Cape Town is a sobering possibility.
Image credit: www.irishtimes.com
While assurances aplenty try to allay fears of the Day Zero spectre – the day when the city’s dams run dry and taps are switched off – the Mother City’s residents are becoming somewhat twitchy, especially as there are still ‘water waster’ offenders and the tourist season has just kicked off.
Current water level estimates put Cape Town as ‘safe’ until the end of April 2018. If current usage continues and dam levels continue to drop in the scorching temperatures, it is this time that dam levels are estimated to reach 10%, with the rainy season past and the next one months away…
“Running out of water in places that have a highly developed water infrastructure is not that common. I know of no example of a city the size of Cape Town running out of water. It would be quite catastrophic.”
Professor Bob Scholes – University of Witwatersrand
When (if) Day Zero rolls around, while it’s likely to be a gradual process, Bloomberg recently spoke to a few people who pondered what might happen.
The South African reports that Bob Scholes, a professor of systems ecology at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, had this to say, “Running out of water in places that have a highly developed water infrastructure is not that common,” he says. “I know of no example of a city the size of Cape Town running out of water. It would be quite catastrophic.”
A grim picture is painted by Clem Sunter, an independent scenario planner who has also been advising the city.
“I don’t want to underestimate how catastrophic Day Zero could be. It would require thousands of tankers to provide a minimal level of water to each person. You would have to think of temporarily evacuating people.”
The stark contrast between the waterline and water’s edge are evident in this image of one of the dams that feeds Cape Town – and the level continues to drop.
Image credit: albertonrecord.co.za
If dam levels drop below 13.5% in Cape Town, people will have to cope with 25ℓ of water per day for washing, cooking and personal hygiene
In November, mayor Patricia de Lille described what Day Zero will look like, “I want to bring you into my confidence to tell you what will happen if day zero arrives. Dam levels must at least be at 13.5%. If they go below that, that is the day we will turn off the taps.
“We have to exclude the densely populated areas like the townships. If we turn the taps off there, we face significant risks in those areas like disease.”
“I don’t want to underestimate how catastrophic Day Zero could be. It would require thousands of tankers to provide a minimal level of water to each person. You would have to think of temporarily evacuating people.”
Clem Sunter
While residents have been urged to practice water saving measures, there are still offenders who are using more than the allocated 87ℓ per day.
In this light, it is all but confirmed that from February next year, Cape Town will introduce a ‘water tax’, or a water levy or water surcharge.
The aim of the levy is to raise more capital for long-term drought solutions, diversifying from surface water resources to multiple water resources.
Thousands of residents of Cape Town’s informal settlements run the risk of disease outbreaks should the water be switched off on Day Zero.
Image credit: Link TV
However, because there is reduced usage, the City is generating less income from water, which ultimately results in less money to pay for solutions.
The problem is, the amount to be paid each month is linked to property values and is viewed as ‘progressive, equitable and pro-poor’.
While it is still to be rubber stamped by Treasury, it seems doubtful that it will not get go ahead from the top.
CAPE TOWN’S PROPOSED WATER LEVY CHARGES
| Residential property value (in ZAR) | Water tax (ZAR) |
| <400k | none |
| 600k | 35 |
| 800k | 45 |
| 1m | 50 |
| 2m | 115 |
| 3m | 170 |
| 4m | 225 |
| 5m | 280 |
| 6m | 340 |
| 7m | 420 |
| 10m | 565 |
| 20m | 1120 |
| 50m | 2800 |
While the month-to-month costs aren’t that significant, the issue for many is that Cape Town’s property market is so inaccurate that property valuation isn’t considered a ‘fair’ yardstick.
The City of Cape Town is searching for an additional R1-billion a year while the dams recover from the unprecedented drought conditions.
