Cape Town Water Strategy
The Cape Town Water Strategy sets the City on course towards a future in which there will be sufficient water for all, and which is resilient to the possible impacts of climate change.
The Cape Town Water Strategy
"The harsh lessons we learned during our brush with Day Zero have, in a sense, allowed us to get on the front foot in building resilience towards climate change. It is an honour and a privilege to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading this initiative, together with the Water and Sanitation management team."
Michael WebsterExecutive Director: Water and Sanitation
Five commitments
To achieve the vision of becoming a water-sensitive city, we have made the following five commitments:
CAPE TOWN'S WATER STRATEGY
dOWNLOAD THE FULL STRATEGY
Download PDF Safe access to water and sanitation
The City of Cape Town will work hard to facilitate
safe access to basic water and sanitation for all residents. In particular, the City will work with communities in
informal settlements and with other stakeholders to improve the daily experience of access to water and sanitation, with an emphasis on building trust and increasing safety within these communities through this process.
Wise use
The City will promote the
wise use of water by all water users through pricing,
regulations and
public education campaigns. The City will also maintain focus on
water demand management interventions, such as reducing leaks and bursts and
pressure management.
Sufficient and reliable water
The City will ensure there is sufficient water that is reliably available from diverse sources. These sources include
groundwater, water reuse and desalination. A full programme of projects that will increase available water supply by over 300 million litres per day, at a cost of approximately R5,7 billion, is already in the pipeline.
The timing and composition of the programme are reviewed as information and circumstances change.
Shared benefit
The City will work with key stakeholders in the Western Cape Water Supply System to ensure the economic, social and environmental benefits that come from our shared water resources are maximised.
The end goal - a water-sensitive city
The City will actively facilitate Cape Town's transition into a city which is sensitive to our water resources, and which makes optimal use of stormwater pipes and urban waterways for flood control,
aquifer recharge and recreation.
The end of water restrictions?
Unfortunately, a water supply system which could completely shield the City from the effects of drought is simply not affordable given the economic structure of our society. Although the new build programme will reduce the likelihood that restrictions will be necessary, some level of restriction may be needed during times of low rainfall going forward.
View the water restrictions page.
Would you like to print this page?
print 