Water targets not being met, says city
Filed Picture: Ross Jansen Filed Picture: Ross Jansen
And the South African Weather Service said there was only a 30% chance of rain this week.
July and August are traditionally the wettest months for Cape Town, but the rainfall has done little to ease drought conditions.
July has a long-term average of 85 millimetres of rain, but only 35.8mm have been recorded for this month. Mayor Patricia De Lille said there was only 17.4% useable water left in the dams, compared with 37.6% at the same time last year.
Provincial spokesperson James-Brent Styan said the average dam levels for the Western Cape were at 26%, with the largest dam between 18% and 30% full.
The city has been looking for alternative ways of providing water. In a Request For Information and Ideas, the city received more than 100 submissions from for-profit and non-profit organisations to install and run small plants along the coast to provide clean drinking water to the supply.
Mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services and energy Xanthea Limberg said the department was reviewing the submissions.
“We are looking to partner with the private sector in creating a short-term emergency water supply, using desalination, stormwater capture or aquifer extraction.”
She said the city was a member of the 100 Resilient Cities Network and was working with it to find solutions.