Dam levels in the Western Cape have dropped to just over 21%, according to the latest information released by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The City of Cape Town’s dam levels – which takes into account Berg River (52.4%), Steenbras Lower (37.1%), Steenbras Upper (91.0%), Theewaterskloof (11.1%), Voëlvlei (16.0%), and Wemmershoek (46.1%) – sits at 24%.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said the latest dam levels are a continued cause for concern.
“The good news is we are nearing our expected rainfall season in the province and we are hopeful that we will be able to see the year through without any of our high-risk towns running out of drinking water. But the public must not be complacent – we cannot rely on rainfall. We still need to save water to keep pushing day zero out,” Bredell said.
Bredell called on residents and businesses to continue to save water even if the rains do come.
“Even if we get exceptional rains this year, we want to urge everyone to keep their water use as low as possible. Even if it is raining cats and dogs, we must now look towards getting through the summer of 2018/19. To achieve this, our dams and underground water sources will need to recover as much as possible,” he said.
According to the City, Day Zero is likely to be 9 July, though this is subject to change is the city doesn’t reduce water consumption even further.
