‘Day Zero’ – the day CPT will run out of water unless consumption is curbed further – has been extended from March to May 2018.

The city uses about 582 million litres a day, 82 million litres more than the daily target. This is down from a collective consumption of about 700 million litres a day when the concept of ‘Day Zero’ was introduced.

Business Day reports that Mayor Patricia de Lille said, despite this progress, reducing demand was still the greatest factor in avoiding ‘Day Zero’. "Unless we reduce demand to 500 million litres per day, there is a risk that we will reach ‘Day Zero’ in May 2018. ‘Day Zero’ would be later if it rained, but because we cannot accurately predict how much rain we will receive, we have to ensure that we reduce demand sufficiently.

“The reduction in demand has caused a drop of about 40% in the income the city derives from water sales. This makes it that much more difficult to fund augmentation measures," De Lille said. "To overcome this — and as temporary measure — the city is considering a transitional levy.”

Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, told Tourism Update, “Potential tourists should know that the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government are doing everything in their power to mitigate the challenges faced by the ongoing drought in the region.

“From a tourism perspective, it is important to realise that despite Cape Town being a popular destination, foreign tourists only make up on average 1% of the population of the Western Cape province at any given time, and total tourists (foreign and local) constitute only 3,4% of the total provincial population on the busiest days.” [Source: Fedhasa/Wesgro]

Visitors are asked to be aware of the current water crisis facing the city and province and to adopt the approach launched by the City of Cape Town to ‘Save like a Local’.

“We need the help of all visitors to conserve this precious resource. There may be a moderate impact on visitor experience should facilities such as swimming pools and steam rooms be closed. We ask for our visitors’ understanding and reiterate that we will consistently do all we can to offer excellent experiences as a world-class destination.”

Facilities possibly impacted

·   Swimming pools may be closed

·   Steam rooms and saunas may be closed

·   Bath plugs may be removed

·   Gardens and lawns may not be watered

Please help us save water

·   Limit your shower to under two minutes

·   Close the tap when brushing teeth

·   Reuse towels instead of asking for a new one every day

·   Report leaks or dripping taps

Duminy adds: “Tourism is an essential part of the economy in Cape Town, providing full-time work for 38 838 people and temporary jobs for 15 489 [2014]. Besides employment, the tourism sector contributes greatly to the economy. Maintaining growth in the sector involves implementing strategies geared towards all aspects of sustainability in tourism. These include employment, nurturing and protecting the natural environment and resources, and ensuring that the built environment takes into account energy and resource-efficient practices and accessibility for all.”