Capetonians woke to the welcome sounds and smells of rain on Wednesday‚ as the city grappled with having less than 105 days of usable water left in its dams.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water‚ Xanthea Limberg‚ said that as of Monday dam levels had dropped to an effective 20%.
The South African Weather Service forecast a 60% chance of about 5mm of rain falling across the city.
The Department of Water and Sanitation lifted water restrictions in Gauteng earlier this week after heavy rains topped up the Integrated Vaal River System‚ made up of 14 dams‚ to approximately 95%.
But the water situation in the drought-ravaged Western Cape remains dire.
While the rainfall is unlikely to have a significant impact on the water shortage in Cape Town‚ it was welcomed by residents who still have to contend with strict water restrictions.
Lesanne Brooke captured the mood in a tweet:
The hashtag #rain was trending early on Wednesday.
Motorists were urged to drive carefully on slippery wet roads in the morning after a serious accident on the N1 highway caused early morning traffic chaos.
Life Healthcare’s emergency response team reported serious injuries at the scene.
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