CAPE TOWN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- South African Police Service (SAPS) has worked out a plan for the worst scenario resulting from a deepening water crisis in Cape Town, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Western Cape provincial government has been briefed by the SAPS on the plan to be implemented when "Day Zero" arrives, said Michael Mpofu, spokesperson for Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.
Day Zero refers to the time when dams supplying water to Cape Town run dry, water taps are switched off and residents have to collect water at designated points.
The city has announced April 12 as Day Zero, nine days earlier than the previously suggested April 21.
Led by Major General Khombinkosi Jula, the SAPS presented a strategy that included the deployment of forces at the various Points of Distribution (POD) across the city, Mpofu said.
The SAPS will also provide regular patrols and monitor crime hotspots, according to Mpofu.
A Joint Operations Centre (JOC) will be activated to coordinate all security efforts, to be assisted by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the Military Police and other law enforcement units, Mpofu said.
Last week, the city announced 6B water restrictions, limiting water usage per person per day to 50 liters for the next 150 days.
The new restrictions, which also limit irrigation using boreholes and wellpoints, will come into effect on February 1.
The city, hard hit by what is believed to be the worst drought in its history, has also introduced punitive tariff on families for using above 6,000 liters of water per month.
Currently dam levels around the city are at 26.5 percent. When dam levels reach 13 percent, the water will not be drinkable.
As the second-most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg, Cape Town is the capital of the Western Cape Province and the seat of South Africa's Parliament, with a population of about 6 million.
The number of domestic and international tourists visiting the city reaches more than 5 million every year.
