When the City of Cape Town was asked by an environmental writer in July 2009, "How long will Cape Town's water supplies last?", the city responded that the the Berg River Dam will provide enough water until 2020. Posed with the same question, the national Department of Water and Environment Affairs said the city will run into shortages by 2012. What might the City have done had they listened?
Clive Justus, then Cape Town mayoral committee member for utility services, took issue with the comments by the National Department of Water Affairs, published in the Cape Times in July 2009, that the Berg River Dam's supplies would last until 2012, by which time water demand would meet supplies. "It should be noted that the recently constructed Berg River Dam will extend the need for implementation of further new water projects to about 2020 and not 2012, as stated in the article," Justus said.
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