NEWS  RELEASE                                                                                     16 February 2001

FREE BASIC WATER WILL BENEFIT ALL

Domestic consumers of water in the Cape Metropolitan Area, instead of the few who are already getting free water, will benefit from the implementation of a plan to introduce free basic supply.

The City of Cape Town intends phasing in the plan over the next few months after thorough workshopping with councillors and senior officials next week.

Councillor David Erleigh, the City of Cape Town’s Exco member charged with responsibility for City Infrastructure, said the provision of free or subsidised basic water - already being enjoyed by about 10 per cent of households being the poorest of the poor who have been provided with free water via stand pipes in the metropole - would be extended to all other categories of domestic user.

“Currently about 10 per cent of households, in particular the poorest taking water from stand pipes are benefiting from unmetered, unbilled or bulk-metered connections,” he said. “Our intention is to extend the benefits to all our people from Cape Point to Atlantis to the Helderberg.”

The implementation strategy includes a two-phased approach. In the first phase the service will include both stand-piped and metered supplies and the second will focus on flat-dwellers and bulk-metered consumers. An estimated 95 per cent of households in the metropole (550 000 individual water connections in addition to all of the stand pipe users) will benefit after implementation of the initial phase.

For flat-dwellers two options are under consideration. The first and more costly option is “universal” metering, while the favoured plan at this stage is to allow for some form of discounted billing.

“I want to emphasise, once again, that this is a technically complex process that cannot be implemented with equity overnight,” Councillor Erleigh said.

“We will introduce the plan in a phased and responsible manner so that all consumers - and especially the very poor - will benefit from the supply of free basic water.”

There are approximately 550 000 individual water connections in the Cape Metropolitan Area.

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