What a difference a drought makes. Back in 2017, Cape Town dams at this point in August were just 30.5% full. Now, as of 12 August 2019, that number sits at 80.6%.
The latest dam report from the City of Cape Town continues to bring good news. The Berg River and Steenbras Upper Dams are still above 100% full, and have been for the past two weeks.
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The Steenbras Lower Dam is now nearing 100% too, just 1.1% shy of that particular mark.
The Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek dams are at 83.2% and 85.1% full, respectively.
And most impressive of all is the Theewaterskloof Dam’s level. In 2017, it was just 23.9% full. At the time of writing, it’s now 70.8% full, just shy of its level in 2015.
With good news however comes some reason to worry. Cape Town’s water consumption has skyrocketed in recent weeks. 608-million litres per day were drawn from the City’s dams last week, the highest number we’ve seen since February.
While this is still well below the City’s goal of 650-million litres per day, it’s clear that citizens are easing their personal water restrictions. And with summer just around the corner, this number could increase even further.
Feature image: The Theewaterskloof Dam in 2018, by Andy Walker/Memeburn
