The Western Cape currently faces a serious drought due to poor rainfall during winter. The demand for water has also steadily increased every year due to the province’s growing population and economy. This, as well as poor rainfall, has added significant pressure on our water supply.
In order to ease the pressure placed on our water supply, municipalities across the province will continue to implement either level 1, 2 or 3 water restrictions for the foreseeable future. The City of Cape Town has upgraded their water restrictions to level 3. Residents and non-exempt businesses who don’t comply with water restrictions will be charged higher tariffs and may be fined for disregarding water usage guidelines.
While there are no current water storage projects in the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town has indicated that it is investigating all viable options to increase water storage for future water security for the City.
While several small to medium desalination plants exist in the province, the cost of running and maintaining these facilities is very high. Future desalination plants would need to be thoroughly investigated and go through feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments and public participation processes before they can be built.
Other than using water in our homes for cooking, washing and sanitation, water also plays a central role in the economy of the Western Cape. The agriculture sector relies heavily on a reliable and sustainable water supply in order to produce good crops and sustain livestock. The manufacturing sector also needs water to produce manufactured goods.
Water is also lost to evaporation, leaks in water supply pipes, and deliberate water wastage.
Our water security is vital for almost everything we do which is why it’s important that we all work together to ease demand on our water supply. Remember, every drop counts! Report leaks and burst pipes to your local municipality. Use our water saving tips and follow the guidelines for water restrictions. Share your water saving ideas on social media and encourage family and friends to get involved as well, so that we save as much water as we can, together!
The province is supplied with water by 44 dams. These dams collectively hold a maximum storage capacity of 1870.4 million cubic meters.
To date, many of the dams in the province have reported levels drastically lower than levels recorded at the same time during previous years. The average storage across the province on 8 December is 52%.
You can keep track of the water storage levels in dams across the province using the map below. Information on dam storage levels is supplied by the national Department of Water and Sanitation.
Dam storage levels on 8 December 2016.
Level 3 water restrictions in effect for the City of Cape Town. Find out what level 3 water restrictions mean and how you can reduce your water consumption.