Cape Town - If Cape Town ratepayers thought that with dams almost at capacity they could expect relief from punitive water tariffs they are mistaken, because the City will only review level-three water restrictions next month.
Cape Town’s dams are on average 83.3% full, and the City said previously it would review the restrictions when the dams were at 80% capacity.
But Mayco member for water and waste services Xanthea Limberg said: “Should the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the users of the Western Cape water supply system agree on a relaxation of water restrictions, this will likely lead to an increase in water consumption.
“The consumption trends will ultimately determine whether tariffs will be adjusted, as the City still needs to recover the cost of delivering this service.”
Limberg said discussions between the City and the national government were centred more on water allocations for the coming year than the setting of tariffs, as well as the status of the drought and the restriction levels.
“How much water the City is allocated by DWS will, however, influence the restrictions implemented, which will influence consumption trends.
"The next meeting is scheduled for the end of this month.
"Although the decision regarding restriction levels will have an influence on the tariffs, the tariffs applied will ultimately be a function of the consumption patterns, and the ability to recover the cost of delivering the service,” Limberg said
At the highest tariff rates, using more than 35000 litres of water a month will cost R768.64 per 1000 litres, which the City describes as punitive.
The City’s Mayco member for finance, Ian Neilson, said: “It must be noted that punitive tariffs have not applied for a long time. This is therefore outdated or not applicable.”
In September, the City said the collective water consumption for the week of September 2 to 8 had increased to 598-million litres per day (up by 30-million litres per day).
Although consumption increased, the City said it remained within the targeted daily allocation of 650-million litres per day.
STOP COCT founder Sandra Dickson, who has criticised the City for its water tariffs, said the new tariff structure in place since July 1 left very little room to manoeuvre to lower the water tariffs by reducing the water-
restriction level.
“The tariff difference between the current level one and no water restrictions is 49c per kilolitre in the zero to 6Kl block.
"Excluding VAT, water restrictions are set as a result of the amount of water DWS allocates to the City. For the previous hydrological year that ended on October 30, the City had to reduce its consumption by 30%, as per the DWS directive,” she said.
ANC caucus leader Xolani Sotashe said: “The mayor made this promise two months ago, and was talking about relaxing this in October. We will see it when it happens, but it’s long overdue.
“Residents of Cape Town have been punished, and we know dam levels were up long ago, but the people are still being punished,” Sotashe pointed out.
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