Dam levels in Western Cape drop to 18%
Dam levels in the drought-stricken Western Cape have dropped to 18 percent, local government, environmental affairs and planning MEC Anton Bredell said on Monday.
“According to the latest data available, most major dams in the Western Cape, including the Voëlvlei dam (currently 14.7 percent full), the Theewaterskloof dam (13.4 percent full) and the Clanwilliam Dam (6 percent) are struggling,” Bredell said.
He stressed that the drought in the province, which was declared a regional disaster last week, remained of serious concern.
Bredell cautioned the public to continue to use water sparingly when it does start to rain, as forecast, over the next few weeks.
“We must ensure that dam levels recover, so when it starts to rain, consumers should not revert back to using water wastefully…We must ensure incisive behaviour change regarding the management of water moving forward,” he said.
The City of Cape Town last week issued new water restrictions, limiting each resident to 100 litres a day.