Capetonians prove they're useless at saving‚ even when there are no rainy days

Capetonians have failed miserably — yet again — to meet the city council target for water savings.

In the week ending on Sunday‚ they overshot the 800-million litres-a-day target by 10%‚ meaning stepped-up water restrictions from February 1 are now virtually certain.

Dam levels in the city council catchment area stood at 40.4% on Monday‚ 2.1 percentage points lower than a week earlier. In the Western Cape‚ dam levels stand at 39.4%‚ described as “massively concerning” by environmental affairs MEC Anton Bredell.

• Cape Town only has enough water stored 'for the next 100 days'. Here's what's about to happen...Cape Town’s dam levels are expected to dip to around 20% in the next few months with some experts warning that the city – which consumed up to 890-million litres a day for the week ending on January 15 – has only enough water stored for the next 100 days. 

Theewaterskloof Dam‚ near Villiersdorp‚ which is responsible for more than half of Cape Town’s water supply‚ was just 35.2% full on Monday. It has received only one third of the average January rainfall so far.

• WATCH: Drone footage shows Cape Town's desperate water situationThe drought in the Western Cape has hit the Theewaterskloof Dam very hard, as this drone footage shows.

The Cape Town council will vote on Thursday on level 3b water restrictions‚ which will mean:

- Watering gardens with tap water will be allowed only on Tuesdays and Saturdays before 9am and after 6pm for a maximum of one hour a day‚ and only if using a bucket or watering can;

- No watering will be allowed within 48 hours of rainfall that provides adequate saturation; and

- Washing of vehicles or boats using tap water will be banned.

– TMG Digital/The Times