Heavy rain in the Cape over the weekend has given Cape Town’s dam levels a lift – but not by much.
On Tuesday 22 April, the City of Cape Town announced that combined storage levels now stand at 45%, as per the latest readings, after the recent wet weather increased dam levels by just 0.2 percentage points from last week.
This is still below levels recorded earlier this month.
Cape Town dam levels (combined):
20 April – 45.0%
13 April – 44.8%
7 April – 45.9%
The Western Cape government’s reading on Monday 21 April meanwhile was 45.3%.
Officials say the small rise is a reminder that rainfall alone cannot be relied on to secure the metro’s water supply heading into winter.
Rain needs to fall in dam catchment areas
The City said the recent rainfall brought on by the season’s first cold front was welcome, but had only a marginal effect on dam storage.
“While we welcome this weekend’s rainfall, it unfortunately only slightly increased dam levels by 0.2%,” said Zahid Badroodien, Cape Town’s MMC for Water and Sanitation.
He emphasised that rain needs to fall in dam catchment areas to make a bigger difference.
“While rainfall is vital, it also has to rain in the right place, in our dam catchments for dam levels to increase.”
The City said much of the recent rain from the autumn season’s first cold front mainly soaked into dry ground, and produced limited runoff into dams.
On the plus side, Cape Town’s water use has also improved over the past week, dropping to 859 million litres per day (MLD) from 970 million litres previously.
That is just below the City’s new winter target of 860 MLD.
What happens next?
The City warned that if current usage trends continue, dam storage could fall to around 40% by May if winter rainfall is average.
Officials stressed that Cape Town is not in a drought and is not heading toward a Day Zero scenario previously witnessed in 2017/ 18 during the Cape Town water crisis.
However, the metro remains in an early warning phase due to lower-than-expected dam levels.
“If we use more than this winter target of 860 MLD, followed by another below average rainfall this winter, the City may have to implement water restrictions by the end of this year,” Badroodien said.
Some simple ways to save water now:
- Fix leaks at home
- Take short showers
- Run washing machines only with full loads
- Water gardens before 09:00 or after 18:00
- Use pool covers to reduce evaporation
Click here for the City of Cape Town’s top water-saving tips
