Cape Town water usage surges as dams plunge to 50%
· Citizen
Cape Town is once again staring down the spectre of Day Zero as a scorching heatwave drives water usage to dangerous highs, leaving dam levels hovering just above 50%.
Over the past week, spiking consumption has pushed dam storage to 50.4% – effectively half-empty – sparking fears of an early drought and renewed restrictions.
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According to the City’s Dam Levels dashboard, storage is now 17.5% lower than last year.
Warning
As the heatwave slowly subsides, residents have been urged to use water only for essential purposes amid the scorching weather to manage the city’s dam levels.
“Our collective water usage between now and the start of winter rainfall matters. Let’s make changes over the next few weeks so we can keep our dams fuller.
“We will be in a better position if we use less water now and can delay possible restrictions, which no one wants,” Zahid Badroodien, MMC for Water and Sanitation for the City of Cape Town.
“If demand remains high, the City’s options narrow and the likelihood of restrictions being introduced earlier than November increases.”
ALSO READ: Cape Town warns residents as dam levels plummet
Drought
Badroodien warned that while Cape Town is not in a drought, the window to avoid water restrictions later this year is narrowing.
“Based on the current water usage trend, dam storage could drop as low as 40% by May if this year’s rainfall is average. Cape Town is in an early warning phase, with lower-than-expected dam levels, signalling the need for continued careful use of water, even though taps are running normally.
“The water system is entering a more sensitive period as every drop counts ahead of unpredictable winter rainfall,” Badroodien said.
Picture: City of Cape TownALSO READ: Joburg residents ‘effectively living under day zero conditions’
Water usage
According to Badroodien, over the past week, water usage has increased to 1 058 million litres of water a day (MLD) from 1 018 MLD last week. This is 83 MLD over the usage target.
“Cape Town’s dam storage levels currently stand at 50.4%. We need to conserve as much water as possible by the last day of May so that we have more water stored ahead of the winter rains, which are predicted to be less than average.
“Our collective water use has been way over the target of 975 MLD that has been set to help us collectively manage our supply until winter,” Badroodien said.
Badroodien said while the heatwave dissipates slowly, he urged residents to keep hydrated and cool, while remembering to use water wisely and responsibly in and around homes, businesses and industries, and for essential purposes only.
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