Cape Town’s dams are simultaneously flirting with two landmarks: three-quarters full‚ and twice as full as a year ago.
Measurements taken on Monday found that the six main dams supplying the city are 74% full‚ compared with 37.5% a year ago and 70% a week earlier.
The main laggard is Theewaterskloof‚ the biggest dam‚ but even at only 56% full its store of 268‚905 million litres of water dwarfs the amount in the second-biggest dam‚ Voëlvlei‚ which is 91.4% full (149‚982 million litres).
Cape Town’s average daily consumption over the last week was 511 million litres. The consumption target remains 450 million litres a day‚ but this will be relaxed on October 1‚ when water prices will fall by between 26.6% and 70%.