Public participation on Cape Town’s first permanent desalination plant in full swing
14 February 2025
The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate hosted the first of two public meetings about the planned desalination plant at Paarden Eiland on 12 February 2025. Members of the public have until Monday, 3 March 2025 to submit their comments.
The purpose of these interactive sessions is to engage residents and solicit their views on the feasibility of the City providing desalinated drinking water through an external mechanism at the proposed Paarden Eiland site. This forms part of the broader public participation process under way, as required by Section 78(3)(b) of the Municipal Services Act (MSA). Community input is vital in shaping how this critical water augmentation initiative is implemented, as part of the City's New Water Programme, which is outlined in Cape Town’s Water Strategy (2019).
Residents still have a chance to participate at the next public meeting:
Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Auditorium, Milnerton Library, Pienaar Road, Milnerton
Online: Via Microsoft Teams https://bit.ly/40OcMXV
‘We appreciate the valuable input received thus far through the various platforms. The community’s voice is essential in shaping Cape Town’s future water security.
‘Join us in person or online for the next session, to learn more about options for implementation of desalination.
‘Residents are encouraged to submit their comments, concerns and recommendations to make their voices heard. All input received through the City’s formal channels will be taken into consideration as part of the legislated public participation process,’ said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
The City is committed to raising awareness about the New Water Programme and to ongoing public engagement to build confidence about the safety and benefits of the new water projects.
Submit your comments
The comment period is open until Monday, 3 March 2025:
About permanent desalination:
Desalination is a scientific process of removing salts from sea water, then processing it further to make it suitable and safe for human consumption.
In the face of climate change, unpredictable rainfall and a growing population, this proposed plant forms part of the City’s various water augmentation projects in the City's New Water Programme (NWP) and Water Strategy, which aims to diversify drinking water supply resources and build a resilient future supply.
The planned permanent desalination plant is expected to produce between 50 and 70 million litres of water per day.
Overall, the Water Strategy aims to increase the city’s water supply by an additional 300 million litres from diversified sources.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
