Water awareness becomes crucial as dam levels decline

Over the past week, Cape Town has experienced a significant uptick in water usage, surging to an alarming 1 073 million litres per day (MLD), 98 MLD above the target of 975 MLD set by the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate.

With dam levels currently at 60.1%, officials are urging residents to embrace water conservation measures as the region prepares for summer's hot weather along with the prospect of low rainfall during the winter months.

The current situation reflects a concerning trend: since December 2025, water levels in Cape Town's dams have dwindled by approximately 2% each week, and sustaining these levels is critical as the City awaits the next seasonal rainfall cycle.

"While there is no immediate cause for concern about water security in Cape Town, we all use water so it’s our collective responsibility to do so wisely. Let’s work together now to do all we can to protect our water supply," stated Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation. 

Badroodien has answered relevant questions relating to this issue:

1: Why do we need a water use target for summer?

He said: "All of us need to use water wisely this summer and to fix leaks, so we can collectively keep our usage under 975 million liters a day (MLD) to reduce the risk of restrictions should below average rainfall be experienced this winter."

 Badroodien said there is no immediate cause for concern about water security in Cape Town as our dam levels are currently 60,1%. However, based on last year's below average rainfall, the City has decided to set a proactive water savings target until the next rainy season i.e. winter this year.

2: What is the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate doing to be water-wise while building Cape Town’s water secure future?

Badroodien said since the drought, the City has and continues to proactively invest in annually upgrading aged water pipes, improving pressure management, fixing leaks faster and strengthening metering along the water supply network.

He said the City is also actively investing and progressing with strategic plans for Cape Town’s new water supply to build our water secure future, which aims to add 300 million litres a day to our water supply. This includes projects such as desalination, groundwater schemes and reuse.

3: Why has the City of Cape Town not implemented water restrictions?

He added that the National Department of Water and Sanitation assesses the need for restrictions based on the Annual Operating Analysis, which evaluates factors including current dam levels and rainfall patterns. Based on the latest analysis in November 2025, the department approved that no restrictions were necessary at this time. 

4: Why can’t we build more dams to help Cape Town’s water security?

The drought has taught Cape Town that it is vital to have diverse water sources and not depend only on rain-fed dams, Badroodien advised.

He stated that based on this, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is investing in Cape Town’s New Water Programme (NWP) aimed at building a resilient, diverse water supply that will navigate future climate shocks and drought regardless of unpredictable rain.

"Initiatives, including desalination, water re-use, clearing of invasive plant species and groundwater schemes, make up the NWP. This is part of the City’s strategy to increase drinking water supply by 300 million litres a day," he said.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus