The unforgiving heat and severe wildfires have made the last seven days a particularly tough period for the Cape Town dams, which have encountered a weekly water levels loss of 1.68% – above the usual weekly decreases that have been recorded this summer. The reserves are currently 59.71% full.
Cape Town dams latest news
Meanwhile, the Western Cape’s facilities have also struggled to fight the rising temperatures. The facilities serving the wider province have slipped by 1.84%, and dropped to 47.78% full. A quick glance at the February forecast suggests warm temperatures will be the norm for the next two weeks, with more south-eastern winds expected.
Severe gales made landfall on Sunday in Cape Town, making firefighting efforts on Signal Hill and Lion’s Head extremely difficult. Thankfully, no loss of life has been reported but it’s another savage blow for the region after multiple blazes were reported in the province since the start of the year.
Western Cape and Cape Town dams: Water levels for Monday 28 January
- Theewaterskloof dam – 46.3% (13.13% in January 2018).
- Voëlvlei dam – 75.3% (18.2% in January 2018).
- Berg River dam – 83% (52.6% in January 2018).
- Clanwilliam dam – 54% (16% in January 2018).
Focus on the Karoo
Anton Bredell is the minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape. He turned his attention to the towns in the Karoo which are still scrapping against the threat of a localised day zero, and stated that sustained rainfall was needed to support the region’s water-warriors:
“Towns like Beaufort West and the Kannaland Municipality have severe water stress but there remains a lot that can be done in terms of water savings and driving demand down. I can confirm water was readily available in all the towns from the taps I drank from at random and the water quality was good.”
“From a provincial side we continue to manage the situation on a day by day basis and will provide relief where and when needed. This is an unprecedented and relentless drought and we remain hopeful for rain in the months to come.”
Anton Bredell
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