BCM hit harder by ongoing drought

Despite recent rains bringing some relief to the coastal region, BCM still finds itself gripped by a drought that continues to ravage the province.

WASTE NOT: Residents are urged to save as much water as they can
Picture: PIXABAY

As previously reported by the Daily Dispatch the drought was declared a national disaster earlier this year and there is little sign of it easing any time soon.

“BCMM is experiencing abnormally low dam levels in the current moment and the situation is being monitored jointly with the department of water and sanitation,” said spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya.

“The data we have at the moment does not inform us conclusively as to when the region is likely to hit a day where we run out of water.”

According to Ngwenya, BCM has a heavy reliance on surface water, which in turn makes it highly dependent on consistent rainfall. This means the drought has been particularly hard on the region, worsened by the ongoing climate crisis.

Ngwenya said it was vital that residents made an effort to conserve water when possible.

“Many practical methods to reduce water consumption are published in the BCMM website, but to mention a few – residents must consider ensuring that their piping is free of leaks at household level; reduce the number of car washes to maybe once a week; water the garden in the evenings when it is nice and cool; use tanks to fill up swimming pools; use tanks for laundry and so on.

“We want residents to be vigilant of leaks and report them. And equally, we want residents to monitor their water consumption, particularly with the imposition of tariffs so that they don’t exceed the set limits and pay huge costs.”

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