Day Zero looms nine days closer than expected

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane says the only way to avoid Day Zero is to use less water.

Maimane was speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, with the theme #DefeatDayZero, to outline the action plan for the day when taps run dry, dubbed “Day Zero”.

This comes after deputy mayor Ian Neilson’s announcement on Tuesday that Day Zero had been brought forward by nine days, from April 22 to April 12, due to a drop in dam levels.

On February 1, stricter water restrictions (level 6B) will come into effect, which limit the maximum water usage per person to 50 litres a day, instead of the initial 87 litres.

The six dams supplying Cape Town with water are currently at 26.9% after a 1.4% drop this week.

The City had said that when levels reach 13.5%, it would turn off most taps with only essential services having access to water.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille previously said that part of managing the crisis would include taking measures to access alternative water sources such as the daily extraction of 80 million litres of water from the Cape Flats Aquifer, 40 million litres from the Table Mountain Group Aquifer and 40 million litres from the Atlantis Aquifer.

Neilson said that extracting the water from these sources would not happen in time to push back the April 12 deadline.

“Our main focus at this point must be on what we can do now to prevent our taps running dry by April. We urge Capetonians to use as little water as possible,” Neilson said in the statement.

The city is in the process of implementing “aggressive” pressure management operations and installing water management devices to properties with high water consumption.

The plan for Day Zero has still not been released by the City’s Disaster Risk Management team, who have delayed its release by another week.

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said in a statement on Wednesday that the City of Cape Town would deploy help from the armed forces should Day Zero become a reality.

SAPS, the military and traffic officers would help monitor water distribution points across the metro. The South African National Defence Force would also provide additional support.

Leon Basson, DA shadow minister of water and sanitation, said in a statement on Wednesday that Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane needed to step up and “show decisive leadership”.

“Mokonyane must ensure that her department meets its Constitutional mandate and apply all available resources to respond to the drought crisis, not only in the Western Cape but also in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

“It was under Mokonyane’s watch that the department failed to maintain and upgrade aging water infrastructure, resulting in the inability of national government to supply municipalities with bulk water supply, as is their exclusive mandate.

“She must now work hand in hand with local and municipal authorities to find solutions to the challenges facing drought-stricken communities and commit to defeating ‘Day Zero’,” Basson said.

With no clear plans drawn out, the water crisis has become a political matter between the national government and the provincial government.

Mokonyane fired back at the DA, saying that the party was trying to absolve itself of responsibility by placing the blame on national government.