Cape Town, South Africa was forced to impose a strict daily water limit on its residents after it was hit with three consecutive years of drought, and on May 26, Gibsons residents are being asked to do the same.
“This Sunday, everybody’s going to be on 50 litres of water and Monday morning you can have that shower you so richly deserve – and need,” said Gibsons Mayor Bill Beamish at a regular council meeting on Tuesday.
“We want to create an awareness of the issues we face on the Sunshine Coast and successive droughts we’ve had here,” he said when explaining his rationale for Gibsons’ Cape Town Challenge, slated for this Sunday.
Residents are being challenged to see if they can limit their water use to 50 litres, the same amount Cape Town allowed during the height of its crisis in 2018. The average daily use in Gibsons is 250 litres.
On May 22, in anticipation of the weekend challenge, Beamish was invited on CapeTalk Radio, one of the city’s most popular stations, to discuss the challenge.
“We’ve had support from Cape Town and I’m waiting for some swag to come,” Beamish said at the council meeting.
He also met with student councillors to bring the challenge to Elphinstone Secondary School, and has invited all councillors and staff to sign up.
People can keep track of their water via a water calculator on the Town of Gibsons website.
