Capetonians are celebrating the latest stats as dams swell by 7% within a week, uplifting spirits and making the endless cold fronts, worth it!
Cape Town, South Africa – WOW, it has been some time since we last spoke about the dam levels in Cape Town. After a near-disastrous drought left citizens counting their water usage by the millilitre, Capetonians last celebrated their dams reaching 70% in September 2018.
Then summer rolled in, and everyone held their breath for what winter would bring. Thankfully, so far, winter has been kind to Capetonians, and dam levels have collectively surged by 7% in just one week.
Should their winter rains continue on this level, dams should do quite well to refill before their dry summer season.
Having endured four cold fronts since the start of winter, the dam levels have brought a smile to everyone’s faces and made the bitter cold that much more bearable.
Anton Bredell, the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning is overjoyed by the news but cautions Capetonians to remain vigilant with their water usage.
“We’re very happy to see the levels starting to increase dramatically. In the past week, the Berg River Dam has seen an increase of more than 10% and the Clanwilliam dam level has increased by more than 15%. But, the resource will always be under pressure.”
“We must become more water conscious on a permanent basis. The Theewaterskloof Dam – the biggest in the Western Cape – increased by 5.5% and is now more than 50% full. Last year at this stage it was still at 38%. We expect dam levels will continue to increase in the coming weeks.” – Anton Bredell
Take a look at the dam levels below; this includes levels from last week as well as the previous year, this time.
We wish you many more rains, Cape Town.
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