Fishing company Oceana will invest R20m in a desalination plant at its west coast factory as businesses look to save water amid a major drought in the Western Cape, officials said on Monday.
Residents of Cape Town were restricted to a maximum of 50l of water a day from the beginning of February, as the popular tourist destination scrambles to avert queuing for water when taps are expected to run dry in mid-April.
The investment by Oceana means the factory will not draw water from the municipal supply and will also not close down, saving about 2,000 jobs.
The second phase of the plan will consist of a desalination unit at Oceana’s Laaiplek facility, which will produce about 600,000l of water per day.
"Phase one of the plan will see a R20m desalination plant, capable of producing 800,000l of water per day, come online at their largest facility in St Helena Bay, by the end of March," the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement.
The company is considering drilling boreholes on a nearby farm to augment its water supply to the St Helena Bay factory, about 170km northwest of Cape Town.
By the end of January dam levels in the Western Cape had fallen to 24.5% from 25.3% the previous week, and from nearly 38% a year ago.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.