The City of Cape Town says efforts continue to reclaim water losses caused by invasive alien plants.
A year ago the City and The Nature Conservancy, signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding which involves a R50 million commitment to clear invasive alien trees in remote mountainous areas.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says alien plant invasions will continue spreading into catchments and must be strategically managed to create sustainable solutions.
“Research indicates that the restoration of priority sub-catchments through the control of alien plant invasions will result in estimated annual water benefits of 55 billion litres which is estimated at one-sixth of the city’s current supply needs within six years compared to the business as usual scenario. To sum this up, 55 billion litres is the equivalent of nearly two months of Cape Town’s annual water supply. These losses are severe in a region where each drop of water matters.”
Nearly a third of the country’s water is lost due to alien invasive plant species in critical water catchment areas.
In the related video below, Nearly a third of SA’s water is lost to alien invasive plants: CapeNature
