The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has advised residents to use water sparingly as the current rainfall is noticeably lower than the previous hydrological year.
This comes after the city’s Bulk Water Branch reported that, at this stage, the current season’s rainfall and its projections indicate that it is likely the hydrological year’s rainfall will be below average.
The city said it is carefully monitoring the situation and engaging with stakeholders to ensure water resources are optimized.
City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien commended the residents, as well as the agriculture and urban sectors, which continue to be mindful of their water usage and still implement water saving efforts.
Badroodien said the lower water demand has benefited the system, but the city warned that the data from the hydrological year mirrors what has previously been experienced in drier years, hence “the potential of having a sequence of drier periods cannot be excluded”.
According to the city, Cape Town’s latest dam levels stand at 75.5%. This time last year, dam levels were at 97.5%.
