13 November 2017: WATER ALERT, VIEW ALL WESTERN CAPE DAM LEVELS ON MAP HERE
Posted on: 24/10/2017

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13 November 2017: WATER ALERT, VIEW ALL WESTERN CAPE DAM LEVELS ON MAP HERE
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WATER ALERT!

Residents and visitors must reduce water consumption in accordance with the water restrictions of their respective municipality. Extreme water savings are needed in the following regions:  

  •  City of Cape Town - level 5 water restrictions in effect. 
  • Drakenstein Municipality - level 4 water restrictions in effect.
  • Saldanha Municipality - level 4 restrictions in effect.
  • Stellenbosch Municipality - level 4 water restrictions in effect.

High Alert: City of Cape Town

Residents and visitors in the City of Cape Town are restricted to using 87 litres of treated water per person, per day for the purposes of drinking, washing and cooking. All exemptions have been revoked.

Due to the critical nature of available water supply, all water users across the metro must expect water rationing which could lead to water supply disruptions.

This is likely to result in water supply being disrupted during peak water usage times in the mornings (between 5am and 9am) and in the evenings (between 5pm and 9pm) if usage is above the required levels.

Service will be restored as soon as demand decreases to within the limitations of Level 5 water restrictions. If an area uses above the daily water limit, rationing through advance pressure management will continue until the limit is reached. It's therefore difficult to pin down an exact time for the duration of supply interruptions as it depends on the behaviour of the consumers, within a pressure zone.


The Western Cape currently faces a serious drought due to poor rainfall during our 2016 and 2017 winter seasons. The demand for water has also steadily increased every year due to the province's rapidly growing population and economy. This, as well as climate change, has added significant pressure on our water supply.


What are water restrictions?

In order to ease the pressure placed on our water supply, municipalities across the province will continue to implement either level 1, 2 , 3 or 4 water restrictions for the foreseeable future. These restrictions place higher tariffs on water consumption to encourage you to use only what you need. Other penalties such as fines or even imprisonment for blatant water wastage are also possible depending on your municipalities stipulations.

Current water restrictions for Western Cape Municipalities

  • Beaufort West Municipality - level 3
  • Bergrivier Municipality - level 2
  • Bitou Municipality - level 1
  • Breede Valley Municipality - level 3B
  • Cederberg Municipality - level 2
  • Cape Agulhas Municipality -  no restrictions
  • City of Cape Town -  level 5 
  • Drakenstein Municipality - level 4
  • George Municipality - level 2C
  • Hessequa Municipality - level 2
  • Kannaland Municipality - level 3
  • Knysna Municipality - level 3
  • Laingsburg Municipality - level 1
  • Langeberg Municipality - no restrictions
  • Matzikama Municipality - level 2
  • Mossel Bay Municipality - level 1
  • Overstrand Municipality - no restrictions
  • Oudtshoorn Municipality - level 1
  • Prince Albert Municipality - level 1
  • Saldanha Municipality - level 4
  • Stellenbosch Municipality - level 4
  • Swartland Municipality - level 3
  • Swellendam Municipality - no restrictions
  • Theeswaterskloof Municipality - level 3
  • Witzenberg Municipality - level 3

Are there plans for future water storage capacity?

The City of Cape Town has indicated that it is investigating all viable options to increase sustainable water storage for the City. Read Mayor Patricia De Lille's statement: Advancing water resilience: getting to an additional 500 million litres of new water a day.

Where does the water go?

Other than using water in our homes for cooking, washing and sanitation, water also plays a central role in the economy of the Western Cape.

The agriculture sector relies heavily on a reliable and sustainable water supply in order to produce good crops and sustain livestock. The manufacturing sector also needs water to produce manufactured goods.

Water is also lost to evaporation, leaks in water supply pipes, and deliberate water wastage.

What can I do to help?

Go beyond ordinary water-saving and get creative with new ways to save as much as you can.

  • Limit your water usage to human consumption and needs.
  • Use captured water or grey water to flush your toilet. If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.
  • Fill your kitchen sink no more than one-third when doing the dishes by hand.
  • Before doing laundry, make sure your laundry needs to be washed (odoured or dirty), and wait until there's a full load of laundry.

Our water security is vital for almost everything we do, which is why it's important that we all work together to ease demand on our water supply. Remember, every drop counts!

Report leaks and burst pipes to your local municipality. Use our water saving tips and follow the guidelines for water restrictions.

Share your water saving ideas on social media and encourage family and friends to get involved as well, so that we save as much water as we can, together!


My tap water tastes different, is it safe to drink?


Your tap water remains perfectly safe to drink. Tests are continuously conducted by municipalities to ensure tap water is suitable for human consumption.


What is the state of Western Cape dams?


The province is supplied with water by 44 main dams. These dams collectively hold a maximum storage capacity of 1870.4 million cubic meters.

To date, many of the dams in our province have reported levels drastically lower than levels recorded at the same time during previous years. The average storage across the province on 13 November is 35.9%.


How full is the dam in my region?

You can keep track of the water storage levels in dams across the province using the map below. Information on dam storage levels is supplied by the national Department of Water and Sanitation.

Dam storage levels on: 13 November 2017.

The average storage across the province on 13 November 2017 is 37.3%.



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