The average dam levels in the Western Cape have doubled from 22.6% in the comparative week last year to the current level of 45% recorded on Monday.
However, Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Minister Anton Bredell urged consumers to continue to use water responsibly, even in areas where there may be no water challenges.
“While recent rainfall in the Karoo region has brought slight relief to some parts, the rain has not been sufficient to break the ongoing drought,” he said in a statement on Monday.
He pointed out that Beaufort-West, which usually gets around 28 mm of rainfall in December and 20 mm in January, has received zero millimetres in December and only 2 mm in January.
“Overall, the Karoo region remains extremely dry, but other areas are also seeing dam levels running lower at the beginning of autumn. We are headed to the winter and we are hopeful of another season of good rainfall in the coming months.”
The collective average level of the dams supplying water to the City of Cape Town is 56.8%, up from 24.5% this time last year.
The Theewaterskloof dam is currently at 44.1%, the Voëlvlei dam is at 71.5%, the Berg River dam at 78.8% and the Clanwilliam dam at 46.3%.