Dam shame, Cape Town

Despite serious water restrictions Cape Town residents are still using too much.

Water and sanitation department spokesman Sputnik Ratau said local government could decide to impose stricter control, such as cutting off water to areas where excessive water use occurs.

He said while national dam levels could rise owing to recent heavy rains near catchment areas, such as the Vaal Dam, the Western Cape remained under level-three water restrictions.

Other provinces, including Limpopo, the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, parts of Mpuma-langa and North West, remain under level-two restrictions.

Level-two restrictions involve a reduction of water pressure to reduce the amount of water passing through taps, and prescribing how much water residents should use.

Level three restrictions include imposing by-laws in areas where residents don't comply and cutting off water during certain times and even completely.

Ratau said dam levels had decreased slightly to an average of 48.8% since January last year when the national average was 57.9%.

"With the rains that are occurring now, we hope that most of it will get into our catchment areas and we will see either a stabilisation or even an increase in dam levels."

The department was unable to lift restrictions until there was a "serious recovery" in dam levels.

Ratau said the City of Cape Town was closer to its target of limiting water use in the metro to 800million litres a day.

"It is probable that we will run into actual water shortages."

Ratau said while the weather service had told the department that South Africa could still experience above-average rainfall from January to April, the La Niña climate pattern, which was supposed to provide higher-than-normal rainfall, had been weaker than expected.

City of Cape Town spokesman Priya Reddy said water use had dropped from 835million litres a day in the week before Christmas to 829million litres between December 26 and January 1.

"While the city is pleased, this is still 29million litres a day above the level required to ensure that water supply will last until the next rainy season.

"Dam levels have dropped to 46% and there are a number of hot and dry months ahead. Unless all residents reduce their water usage to meet the target, even more stringent restrictions are likely, including a possible blanket ban on all watering of gardens."