"According to the Cape Town government, we are sitting at 56.8% and we will continue to do our utmost best to preserve water," says Maxwell Magodla, general manager at The Bantry Bay Suite Hotel.
The local hotels have gone to extraordinary lengths to save every drop of water and still continue to adhere to the restrictions. "We are committed to getting the water level of the dams to 85% and will not become complacent at this point in time," says Emily Whitefield, one of the directors at the Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel.
"Cape Town is now leading water conservation in the world. Huge changes in water usage led a revolution against water wastage and Capetonians have listened and acted," adds Whitefield. Good winter rains and continued adherence to guidelines means there has been a massive reversal from the fears of last summer. The restrictions remain to guard against any future recurrence of those critical low levels.
Both the Bantry Bay Suite Hotel and Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel have put numerous measures in place to save and contribute to the conservation of water in Cape Town.
• Special devices have been installed on all taps to control the water flow into a spray motion.
• Created awareness in all the welcoming letters upon arrival and around the hotel with posters.
• Small buckets were placed in the showers to capture over the flow of water and was used as grey water for toilet system and cleaning.
• Plugs for the baths were removed from every room.
• The grey water captured in the kitchen area is used to water the plants
• Sanitizers are placed in all the public bathrooms for guests and staff to use
• Laundry has been carefully managed
• Hose pipes were not used on the premises
• Endorsing and adhering to the 50l water allowance per person and constantly reiterating this to the team at the hotel
An estimated 48% of water was saved for the months of May and June, compared to the previous year at both hotels. "We are dedicated and will remain this way until Cape Town is totally in the clear and in the meantime, we welcome all visitors to the Mother City - we are ready for you, waterwise and open-armed," concludes Maxwell.
