It has rained, and it has poured, but what does that mean for drought-recovering Cape Town? Well, dams are at a healthy level for now, so residents are urged to keep to those water restrictions.
Cape Town, South Africa (17 June 2022) – Water scarcity is a reality for every South African because the country is in a water-scarce region. Where it may be lush and green today, the chance of droughts is higher than before. This is why we rejoice in every rainfall and always check on the water-level stats when the good rains arrive.
It has been some time since we checked the dam levels in Cape Town, and we were happy to see that despite the disruptive rains, the positive side is the rise in dam levels.
“The dams in and around Cape Town form part of the Western Cape Water Supply System, which is an integrated and collectively managed system of dams, pump stations, pipelines, and tunnels. In addition to servicing Cape Town, the system supplies water to towns in the Overberg, Boland, West Coast, and Swartland areas, and provides irrigation water for agriculture.”
The dam levels are lightly lower than this same time last year, but they are better than during the drought years. Take a look at the measurements as of the 17th of June, 2022.
- Berg River – 78.4%
- Steenbras Lower – 75.7%
- Steenbras Upper – 89.6%
- Theewaterskloof – 70.8%
- Voëlvlei – 57.1%
- Wemmershoek – 53.0%
- Overall – 69.1%
Considering this time last year, dams were at an overall 75.1%; it is essential to keep conserving water and abiding by the water restrictions. You can find all things water-related on the City’s website here.
We hope and pray that the Eastern Cape can also have some good rains in catchment areas. Parts of the province are in the grips of a severe drought, and water restrictions are in full effect.