The Western Cape faces a growing water challenge, as the major dams recorded a 2% decrease in levels on Monday, 29 January 2024, juxtaposed against a rising average daily water consumption of 1043 million litres.
Western Cape dam levels: Another week of high consumption sees 2% drop
The region’s lifeline, its six major dams, is crucial for its water stability.
Berg River Dam, now at 83.8% capacity, dropped significantly from 86.4% last week. Similarly, Steenbras Lower and Upper dams have dipped to 74.6% and 94.0%, respectively, signalling a trend of declining water reserves.
The largest, Theewaterskloof Dam, showed a decline of 79.3%. Not to be overlooked, Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek dams reported levels at 76.7% and 92.2%, respectively.
As the weather heats up, average daily consumption rises considerably. Last week, water consumption averaged 1.03 billion litres per day.
On Monday, 29 January 2024, the average daily consumption sits at an astounding 1.043 billion litres, with dam levels reporting a weekly average decline of 2% this month alone.
Here is a comparative look at this week’s Western Cape dam levels:
Dam | Capacity (Ml) | % Full | Last Week |
---|---|---|---|
Berg River | 130,010 | 83.8% | 86.4% |
Steenbras Lower | 33,517 | 74.6% | 79.3% |
Steenbras Upper | 31,767 | 94.0% | 97.0% |
Theewaterskloof | 480,188 | 79.3% | 80.8% |
Voëlvlei | 164,095 | 76.7% | 79.0% |
Wemmershoek | 58,644 | 92.2% | 93.9% |
The smaller dams, though often in the shadow of their larger counterparts, collectively exhibit a decrease of 3.15%, standing at 59.3% full.
This includes dams like Alexandra, De Villiers, and Hely-Hutchinson.
Their declining levels, though less pronounced, indicate worrying times ahead in the Western Cape.