Cape Town has enough water to last until August
Publish date: 30 May 2017
Issue Number: 509
Diary: Legalbrief Environmental
Category: Corruption
The City of Cape Town has enough water to last until August or September at current consumption levels, an official said last week. A News24 report notes that any rainfall in the coming weeks would change this projection, but there was ‘significant uncertainty’ over the rain forecast for June and July, mayoral committee member for water and waste services Xanthea Limberg said. Rainfall during April and May had been disappointing. ‘As such, saving as much water as possible remains key in case our water reserves have to be stretched over summer 2017/18,’ Limberg is quoted in the report as saying. Western Cape Premier Helen Zille announced that she had declared the entire province a disaster zone in a bid to avoid taps running dry. Economic Opportunities and Agriculture MEC Alan Winde said the decision was taken because winter rainfall had been below expectations. Dam levels in the Western Cape have dropped to an average of 17.97% full, with Clanwilliam Dam at only 6%, the Western Cape government said yesterday (Monday). Another News24 report quotes Local Government MEC Anton Bredell as saying: ‘According to the latest data available, most major dams in the Western Cape, including the Voëlvlei dam (currently 14.7% full), the Theewaterskloof dam (13.4% full) and the Clanwilliam Dam (6%) are struggling. The situation remains serious.’
