The City of Cape Town has implemented its New Water Programme (NWP) in an effort to diversify and expand Cape Town's water supply sources and meet the growing water demands of an increasing population.

Expanding Cape Town's water supply sources is becoming critical amid rapid population growth, which has increased 27.6% since 2011 to reach 4.78-million in 2022.

The population growth and the impact of climate change, such as erratic weather patterns, has intensified water demand and strained existing water infrastructure, posing significant risks to water security in a city prone to drought, said City of Cape Town Water and Sanitation MMC Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

In an effort to mitigate this, the NWP aims to add 300-million litres of water a day from new sources by 2030, through the implementation of comprehensive and diverse initiatives, including the clearing of alien invasive plants, groundwater extraction through aquifers, water reuse, infrastructure maintenance and long-term plans for desalination.

According to a statement released by the City of Cape Town on Thursday, the alien invasive clearing programme has seen 16.1-billion litres of water replenished over the past six months, equivalent to 44-million litres more water a day.

For the 2023/24 financial year, the City of Cape Town has committed R25-million to continue clearing activities in the four catchment areas to ensure that more water reaches the dams.

In addition, over the next few years, the city will build the New Water Scheme at the Faure water treatment plant and reservoir to augment and diversify the city’s drinking water supply by an ultimate capacity of 100-million litres a day.

The City of Cape Town is also in the advanced stages of planning for water reuse which involves treating it to drinking quality standards, while it will also tapping into groundwater through investment in aquifers to provide an additional source of water and reduce the reliance on rain-fed dams, with about R4.7-billion invested into projects to add 105-million litres of groundwater a day into the city’s drinking supply by 2040.

The City will also invest about R2.6-billion into the Cape Flats Aquifer project, with the boreholes expected to produce 50-million to 60-million litres of water a day to help ensure that Cape Town’s drinking water supply is reliable amid unpredictable rainfall and climate change impacts.

Further, the proposed permanent desalination plant, a seawater reverse osmosis plant, is planned to augment and diversify the City of Cape Town’s drinking water supply by between 50-million and 70-million litres a day.

“The plant will incorporate advanced technologies that are new to the city. The task of producing desalinated drinking water that meets South African standards will require operational rigour at a significantly higher level than needed for the conventional water treatment plants operated by the city,” said Badroodien, adding that the infrastructure required for the plant had been planned and the technical feasibility studies had been completed.

“The city is improving its water reuse capabilities by investing in advanced wastewater treatment technologies, which ensure that wastewater is treated to the highest standards. This allows treated effluent to be used for nonpotable purposes such as irrigation and industrial processes, which greatly reduces the strain on freshwater resources.”

Another priority is regular maintenance of existing infrastructure and effective management of limited resources, including the upgrade of existing water treatment facilities, expanding storage capabilities and implementing cutting-edge water distribution systems to maximise the use of water.

An allocation of R836.6-million has been set aside for the Water and Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme for this financial year.

“Through actively implementing these solutions and investing in infrastructure maintenance, the city aims to ensure a sustainable water future for its residents and mitigate the challenges posed by population growth and climate change,” Badroodien concluded.