Our water crisis is dire. By now, there shouldn’t be any resident in Nelson Mandela Bay who is not aware that the city is experiencing one of the worst droughts of our lifetime. But despite this, water consumption levels are still astronomically high and not enough is being done to reduce usage.
The reality is, however, that if each person does not cut consumption by between 20% and 40%, half of the Bay will be without water.
Our sister publication, Weekend Post, reported at the weekend that usage needs to be cut from the current level of just under 300 megalitres (ML) a day to 230ML.
Our dam levels are at an all-time low and with no major rainfall forecast, our city will become fully reliant on the Nooitgedacht water scheme to keep water flowing through the taps.
But even that will not be enough to sustain the entire city without cutting consumption.
The continuous delays in completing phase three of the Nooitgedacht expansion project is adding further pressure on the city.
Once completed, the project would allow the city to extract an extra 40ML of water a day.
Phase three of the project to expand the treatment plant was launched in 2017, with a budget of R318m from the department of water and sanitation.
It was initially due to be completed in March 2019, but has repeatedly ground to a halt due to payment disputes.
The scheduled completion date before the latest breakdown was the end of September.
It is unclear at this stage when it will be finalised, but further delays will have disastrous consequences for the Bay.
Other water projects are scheduled to come on line by the end of April, which means it is vital that we implement water-saving techniques as a matter of urgency.
It may seem like a tedious process, but implementing some of the helpful water-saving tips will go a long way towards buying us more time.
This can only be achieved with discipline and a collective effort by all residents.
HeraldLIVE