Dam levels at 71% as heat increases evaporation in Cape Town

Cape Town dam levels dropped by 1.1% last week as increased consumption and hot weather took their toll on fresh water reserves.

The dams which feed Cape Town stood at an average capacity of 71.3% full on Monday at the start of the peak tourism season.  

This was compared to 36.2% at the same time in 2017 when officials still spoke of a Day Zero event - when the dams would fall to critical levels making extraction extremely difficult - which they expected to arrive early in 2018.

Water consumption for last week stood at 576m litres per day which was, on average, 18m litres per day more than the week before.

The hot weather is also likely to see an increase in the number of tourists visiting the city although some local residents leave town during peak holiday season.

In a press statement the city pleaded with water users to be water-wise and to "build on the good conservation practices they adopted to beat the drought".

Visitors to the city unsure about water restrictions are encouraged to visit the city's website.