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W57 | STATEMENT BY EXECUTIVE DEPUTY MAYOR: ALD. NEILSON: Let’s keep our water-saving focus Team Cape Town
CITY OF CAPE TOWN
20 MARCH 2018
STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S EXECUTIVE DEPUTY MAYOR, ALDERMAN IAN NEILSON
Let’s keep our water-saving focus, Team Cape Town
As at Monday 19 March 2018, our collective consumption over the past week was 565 million litres of water per day. Unfortunately, usage has increased by 54 million litres per day from last week’s record low of 511 million litres per day. Nevertheless, we are confident that our water users will again shatter water use records in the weeks ahead. Read more below:
Our dam levels have shown only a slight decline of 0,3% to 22,7% . This is the lowest decline in dam levels this year to date. This can likely be attributed to somewhat lower evaporation rates and small amounts of rainfall, especially in the Steenbras Dam area.
We will continue to monitor the water usage trend to see whether the increase in consumption is a once-off occurrence or whether there is another underlying reason that would need to be addressed.
Level 6B water restrictions are still in place. Water pressure reduction remains in place, water management devices continue to be installed on the connections of high water users and the bills based on 6B tariffs are reaching consumers. It is essential that we all continue to save water.
All water users are reminded that the City is still required by the National Government to reduce water usage to 450 million litres per day in order to stretch the available water supplies through the rest of the year. This equates to a reduction of 45% from normal usage. We are currently hovering at just below a 40% reduction. A sustained collective push is now required to reduce consumption by just 5% in order to achieve our target.
We will continue to drive our initiatives to reduce water consumption. This will include advanced pressure management, the installation of water management devices at the properties of high water users and proactively implementing advanced water restrictions and associated tariffs to encourage behaviour change.
If all Capetonians join us by keeping their consumption down to 50 litres of water a day, or less, we will avoid having to take more drastic actions.
Please visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater for all water-related information, including Level 6B restrictions and FAQs about Day Zero as well as tips to lower usage even further.
Geocentric Launches New App
“As Geocentric we are very proud to launch our new mobile phone reporting application,” said Gene Lohrentz of the urban management company recently. “This is another way in which we are enabling our CID business and property owners to interact with their City Improvement District Management.
“We want our CID contributors to become part of our family by interacting with us about issues they might encounter. The mobile application makes that possible on the devices most people have with them every day.”
The Geocentric app allows users to easily report issues in the City Improvement Districts managed by Geocentric Urban Management based in South Africa. Currently the areas covered by this Application include Beaconvale Industrial Area, Elsies River Industrial, Glosderry, Maitland, Salt River, Somerset West CBD, Stikland Industrial, Strand CBD and the Tygervalley CBD.
With this application users can report urban defects, crime incidents, public safety issues and general comments. “We will acknowledge your report and provide you with feedback throughout the process. We will also send you ‘Alerts’ of problems in your CID area, such as water leaks or power outages and we can even send crime alerts and safety tips to your mobile phone.
The Geocentric Reporting Application is Free of Charge
Simply install it and register as a user when using it for the first time. If you need any help, please contact support@geocentric.co.za
Let’s get started!
- Simply download and install the App from the Google Play or Apple App Store
- Register as a user, using the app when you open it for the first time
- We will send you a confirmation email and you will have to activate your app by clicking on the activation link in the email – this is to ensure we are dealing with people and not spammers.
- Go to your email and verify your email address
- Log in and you are ready to go!
Illegal Dumping in the Spotlight
The problem of illegal dumping is prevalent in Beaconvale and is one of the main challenges that the BVID has to contend with.
- Initially illegal dumping was rife, but now it is sporadic.
- People are prepared to change but only if they are constantly monitored and warned regarding the consequences of dumping.
- Some incidents stem from persons coming to the various scrap dealers and trying to dump waste not accepted by them. This comes from street persons / horse and cart operators and unscrupulous waste handlers.
- BVID engages with these persons and encourages them to make use of the City’s drop off facilities, of which Parow Drop off Facility is situated a mere 2 km’s away and disposal is free of charge. We also indicate that if caught and reported to Law Enforcement they can face fines up to R20 000.
The paragraphs BELOW are extracts from the website of the City of Cape Town, where it is pointed out that dumping is highly illegal.
The question can be asked: What exactly does illegal dumping entail?
“Illegal dumping is the depositing, discharging, spilling or releasing of any kind of waste in or on any public space. This includes waste that is loose or in boxes, barrels or bags
“Public places include:
- open fields;
- vacant or occupied land;
- roadsides;
- sewer systems; and
- waterways.
“Although the City has a number of waste management strategies and services in place for dealing with all types of waste, we have a dumping problem in Cape Town. It is one of the biggest challenges the Solid Waste Management Department faces. It is expensive, damages our environment and is harmful to ourselves and our animals.”
PLEASE NOTE
“Dumping on any public land is illegal and an offence: We work closely with SAPS in illegal dumping investigations. If you are found guilty of dumping illegally you could be fined between R500 and R10 000 and could get a prison sentence of 6 months to 2 years.
To report illegal dumping in your community, call 0860 103 089.
If you have the culprit’s vehicle registration number and/or can identify him/her, call 021 400 6157 or email solidwaste.bylaw@capetown.gov.za. “
On the website, the City of Cape Town goes on to appeal to residents and businesses to assist in curbing and dealing with the problem:
Help us control dumping
Look out for our Big Green Bins
Green waste bins have been placed near toilets in informal settlements and public toilets so that residents can dispose of waste properly. In 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, the City rolled out 929 bins in 24 informal settlements at a cost of approximately R753 000. Eventually these bins will be placed in all informal settlements where we are legally able to place them.
Do your part
- Dispose of your waste only in bins and at approved drop-off or landfill sites.
- Buy additional waste bins if you need them.
- Make others aware of the importance of keeping our environment clean and litter free.
- Fence off your property to prevent others from dumping on it.
Report illegal dumping
To report illegal dumping in your community, call 0860 103 089. If you have the culprit’s vehicle registration number and/or can identify him/her, call 021 400 6157 or email: solidwaste.bylaw@capetown.gov.za.
In order to be sure that you are fully informed on the contents of the City’s Waste Management By-law, visit the website www.capetown.gov.za
City of Cape Town: Integrated Waste Management By-law, 2009
Published in Province of Western Cape: Provincial Gazette no. 6651 on 21 August 2009
- Amended by City of Cape Town: Integrated Waste Management Amendment By-law, 2010 on 4 June 2010
- Amended by City of Cape Town: Integrated Waste Management Amendment By-law, 2016 on 30 June 2016
Urban Management Trolley Introduced
The Geocentric Urban Management Trolley Project was initiated in 2017.
The aim of the project is to provide urban cleaning and maintenance teams with a platform to improve their daily tasks, assist with moving of equipment and tools and enable recycling while performing their tasks.
A few design considerations were introduced into the design of the trolley including
- The ability to move heavy loads of litter or recycling from one point to another without effort or potential injury
- Create high visibility for the cleaning and maintenance teams
- Have quick and easy access to tools and equipment
- The ability, even when fully loaded, to easy ascend and descend kerbs and sidewalks
- Be able to separate waste as they work to support the recycling initiative
To achieve some of these design principles, Geocentric looked at simple solutions from other designs, for example, the stair-climbing suitcases used by so many travellers. By scaling up the design for the urban management trolleys, we could produce a sidewalk and pavement climbing trolley where the urban management worker needs minimum effort to get onto and off pavements to perform their duties.
(See photos of step 1, 2 and 3 illustrating this concept.)
The trolleys were also designed to be pushed from any side with key tools located in the middle so that it is in fact easy to use it for a two-man team operation. On each side of the trolley a plastic tool box allows storage for small tools.
Recyclables like tin cans, glass and plastic bottles are collected by the urban management workers throughout the day as they clean the streets and public spaces and at the end of each day they separate the items into baskets whereafter Geocentric recycles the items.
This is another way in which we make CID operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly as we prevent a vast amount of waste from simply going to landfills.
Geocentric have rolled out these trollies in the Elsies River and Beaconvale City Improvement Districts and plan to roll them out to all the other CIDs under Geocentric management through the course of 2018.
Beaconvale gaining ground
Thanks to the commitment of all who are involved in the Beaconvale Improvement District drive, strides of progress are being made in various ways.
The accompanying images tell the story of how problems like illegal dumping and the confiscation of stolen trolleys and wheelie-bins are successfully addressed by the teams.
The Public Safety issues that are addressed during the day-to-day activities, include problems related to the following:
- Illegal Dumping
- Engaging with the public (public safety officers engage with all people in the public space to ensure that everyone is aware of the BVID’s presence and activities. This is done in conjunction with and in support of the law enforcement officer seconded to the Stikland CID, who oversees such activities. If something suspicious is found, the Law Enforcement Officer and/or SAPS act accordingly.
- Bin scratching
- CCTV visuals followed up if necessary
- Trolley and wheelie-bin confiscation
The Cleaning issues include:
- Litter picking
- De-weeding
- Sweeping streets
On the Urban management side, the BVID Management continues to log all urban and infrastructure defects as C3* notifications with the City of Cape Town for correction. (*This is a system introduced by the City of Cape Town by which the public can report urban defects / problems / law enforcement issues – to them via various platforms, such as sms (31373 – all issues except electrical and 31220 for electrical issues), call centre (086 103 089) and e-mail. (https://www.capetown.gov.za/en/ServiceRequests/Pages/default.aspx)
BEACONVALE ID CCTV PROJECT – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Following the successful implementation of BVID as a Special Rating Area (SRA) the Board has taken the initiative to extend the public safety operations to the next level by implementing a CCTV camera network. The proposed intervention will focus on supporting the current public safety and urban management activities thereby contributing to securing the area and driving incidents of property related crime down. This will be achieved by implementing live surveillance of the public areas by means of a full-time monitored CCTV camera network.
Phase 1 of the project will focus on the implementation of 7 public surveillance cameras. The implementation of additional surveillance cameras and LPR (Licence Plate Recognition) cameras at key access points to the area will be considered in future phases of the project.
Click here for the detailed Request for Proposal document.
All proposals are to be forwarded to Gene Lohrentz of Geocentric (management company for the BVID) by no later than 16:00 on Wednesday 28 February 2018. Proposals can be forwarded via email to info@beaconvalecid.co.za. You may contact us on 083 255 7657 to arrange delivery of printed documents should you also want to submit a hard copy submission. No late submissions will be accepted. Please do not include company registration documents etc.
Once the Board has evaluated all the proposals, a decision will be made on the successful service provider. The decision of the Board is final and no further correspondence regarding the proposal will be entered into once the successful service provider has been appointed. The Board is under no obligation to qualify its decisions to any of the applicants.
All costs related to the submission of this proposal must be borne by the relevant applicants/companies/service providers and they shall have no claim for cost recovery to the Board and or its representatives whatsoever.
Cape Town Mayor outlines status quo of water crisis
During a recent speech delivered at the Atlantis Aquifer, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille thanked Capetonians who had been making efforts to cut their water usage, saying that about half of water users had restricted their daily usage to 87 litres per day.
But added that this was not enough. “We need each and every Capetonian and business on board as a partner on this journey,” she said.
“We are in an unprecedented drought crisis and this phase is critical because if the City and residents don’t do enough together and simultaneously, we will run out of water.”
She said the City was doing everything in its power to ensure additional supply, including finding and hiring the country’s best team of experts who were working 80-hour weeks with the metro to ensure that additional water could be brought ‘online’.
The Atlantis plant was one of several sites for alternative water sources which form part of the ‘Water Resilience Plan’.
The City of Cape Town had recently refurbished many of the boreholes around this West Coast area to increase the production of this plant. She pointed out that these boreholes formed a part of the City’s unique Artificially Recharged Aquifer System and said a lot of work had gone into ensuring an increase in the volume of water from this aquifer system.
Prior this work, the system had been producing around four million litres of water per day. “We have now increased the yield from this aquifer by an additional five million litres per day.”
The water is serving homes and industrial businesses in Atlantis, Mamre and Pella on the outskirts of the West Coast, which is quite a vast area. “So the additional capacity will be welcomed,” the Mayor said.
“This work demonstrates our commitment to addressing this current drought crisis. I repeat my commitment that I will not allow a well-run city to run out of water.”
She added that she had made it clear when the site of a new desalination plant with the V&A Waterfront had been announced: “we have a plan and we will supply water, but we need Team Cape Town to assist us”.
In the meantime, the City of Cape Town announced that Level 6 water restrictions will be implemented from 1 January 2018, which means that households using more than 10,500 litres per month could face fines and penalties. A proposal for a drought charge of between R45 and R2 800, depending on the value of the property, has also been tabled.
Take a look at these shocking images of the Theewaterskloof Dam looking more like a desert than a body of water:
PICTURES: BVID sees major improvement with cleaner streets
Getting a brand new project off the ground is no easy task, a fact to which the recently launched Beaconvale Improvement District (BVID) team can heartily attest.
Launched on Monday, 31 July 2017, the BVID’s main objectives for the first few months of operation have been to improve safety in the area and get the streets cleaned up.
While you can read more about the safety improvements in Chairperson Sean Lavery’s summary of the first few months {insert link to article}, here’s a quick overview of what the cleaning teams have been up to.
From as early as day one, the BVID’s Cleaning and Maintenance Team – with assistance from the MES Team – were deployed to pick litter, de-weed, remove posters and sweep the streets. These basic tasks still form part of the day-to-day cleaning schedule, however the team also often has to deal with urgent tasks that require immediate responses. These include illegal dumping and removing debris from the road following a motor vehicle accident.
The removal of illegal dumping has proven to be a particularly arduous problem in the area, but one the cleaning team has tackled with great results.
Areas within the BVID that seem to be particularly susceptible to illegal dumping include:
- Riley Street
- Tredoux Street
- Parow Station
- Van der Spuy Road
- Jan Smuts Road
- Glen Hurst Street
- Otto Street
- Connaught Street
- Van der Stel Street
Take a look at the following before-and-after photos from various cleaning projects taken on over the past few months:
“The area really looks amazing. With the litter continually being cleaned up, it’s really just a lot tidier and more inviting,” says Lavery.
When asked whether any greening projects will be introduced into the area, Lavery said that at the moment they’re concentrating on keeping the area clean, but that gardens will hopefully be on the agenda in the near future.
Beaconvale Improvement District – an overview of the first 4 months
Since launching on 31 July 2017, Beaconvale Improvement District (BVID) has brought a “quick and obvious” turnaround to an industrial area that “was not in a great state at all”.
So says Chairperson Sean Lavery in an overview of the BVID’s first four months of operations.
“One of our biggest challenges was the fact that there was a lot of work to do. It took quite a few weeks for the guys to make inroads. But the upside of that is, the change was apparent very quickly. You could see the difference,” he explains.
Measures that have been put into place in the area include:
- The appointment of safety officers in partnership with Zonewatch Security
- The appointment of cleaning teams
- Improvement of lighting
According to Lavery all the teams have been performing above and beyond the initial expectations.
“The safety officers have, for instance, been walking people who work in the area and commute by train from the station in the morning and back again in the evening. Just being able to make people feel safe in their working environment is a big achievement on its own.”
With the year now drawing to a close, Lavery and team hope to build on this with the majority of the year’s R3.6million budget being pushed toward further enhancing safety services – investing in additional patrol vehicles and officers – as well as cleaning.
“We are also hoping to put some money aside for other projects, such as installing CCTV cameras throughout the area and erecting a fence on the corner of Van Riebeeck Street and Fransie van Zyl to improve the safety of workers walking to and from work.”
These official improvements have also had a positive knock-on effect among businesses, as the visible care being taken of the area encourages others to take more responsibility of their own.
While it’s still early days, Lavery believes that Beaconvale’s businesses are satisfied with their investment and that they can look forward to many more improvements over the coming months and years.
Ultimately, the BVID hopes to attain the following goals:
- Reduce crime significantly by proactive visible patrolling and cooperation, along with existing SAPS and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, as well as other security service providers in the area
- Create a safe and clean public environment
- Manage existing and new public infrastructure
- Protect property values
- Attract new investment
- Support the promotion of the BVID industrial area as a safe and clean environment by promoting greening, energy efficiency, recycling and risk/disaster management
- Support and promote social responsibility in the area
“It has been a privilege dealing with Gene and Geocentric in getting the Beaconvale CID set up. He has assisted and guided the steering committee throughout the process and continuously delivered on time,” Lavery concludes.