The Water and Sanitation Department said dams in the Western Cape are refilling too slowly this year in comparison to last year and urged residents to intensify water conservation initiatives.
The Western Cape water supply system, which consists of six of the largest dams in the province, is currently sitting at 61.3%, which is 2% lower than this time last year.
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The department’s acting national spokesperson, Andile Tshona, said traditionally, May is supposed to be one of the wettest months in the Western Cape.
But so far, rainfall has done little to boost the province’s dam levels, thus triggering the need to intensify water conservation initiatives.
The Gouritz River Catchment, which covers the Little and Central Karoo as well as the coastal belt of the Southern Cape, is sitting at just over 53% full.
While the Western Cape’s largest dam, Theewaterskloof, which accounts for 45% of the province’s water supply system, is currently 58.66% full, a notable decline compared to 66.28% last year.
The latest hydrological report shows the past weekend’s rains weren’t enough. With another cold front expected to bring heavy rainfall to parts of the province from Thursday morning, there’s hope that dam levels will receive a much-needed boost.
Given lessons from Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’ saga in 2017, the department said now was the time to save water at home.
‘The department wishes to remind all water users that South Africa remains a water-scarce country. Therefore, efforts need to be doubled to inculcate the culture of saving the available water resources in efforts to ensure water security,’ said Tshona.
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