Cape Town dam levels dip to 54.6% of capacity
Water levels at dams supplying the Cape Town metropolitan area have decreased by 0.5 percent over the past week to 54.6 percent of total capacity, the city council said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the council said water consumption was at 659-million litres per day during the week of June 1 to 7, up 12-million litres a day from the previous week's 647-million litres.
Cape Town is prone to a scarcity of potable water and rainfall patterns are always uncertain.
The city developed a water strategy after a severe three-year drought from 2015 to 2017 which saw it reduce water consumption by more than 40 percent to avoid running out.
In 2018 it narrowly averted the total depletion of potable water supply in what was dubbed "day zero".
On Tuesday, mayoral committee member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said the council was watching weather predictions for a sign that this year's winter season would see the break of a five year drought and the return of normal rainfall.
"Showers have been predicted for this week and it is hoped that this will have a significant effect on the dams," Limberg said.
"However, residents should note that low rainfall does not mean that another day zero is on the horizon. Even if we get similarly sparse rainfall as we did in 2017 (the driest year on record), dams will still end up above 60 percent full, with significant augmentation capacity scheduled to come online over the next year."
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