Further water restrictions for domestic and commercial users have been implemented in Cape Town, Mayor Patricia de Lille announced on Sunday.
“[These include] the institution of Level 5 restrictions and a further increase in pressure management,” she said.
“There is now a new emphasis on capping excessive water use at the domestic household level and placing additional restrictions on the commercial sector.”
Firstly, managers of commercial properties, with immediate effect, must ensure that their monthly consumption of municipal water is reduced by 20% compared to last year.
When it comes to domestic usage, “the cap on individual domestic property usage is now set at 20 kl per month,” said the mayor.
If this was broken, a “very high fine” would be issued to the property owner.
“An engagement with the Chief Magistrate is forthcoming, but the fines are expected to be in the region of R5 000 to R10 000.”
De Lille said the original upper limit of 87 litres per person and the overall collective target of 500-million litres per day in the city remained.
“As of last week, consumption stood at 599-million litres per day.
She said that over the last year, all water users, except commercial property, had shown a decrease.
She said the category included offices and small businesses but not industrial properties.
“Commercial water users can reduce their consumption by installing water-efficient plumbing fittings and water-saving devices,” De Lille said.
