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Western Cape dam levels are currently standing at a combined level of 74,3%, compared to 82% for the same time last year. The dams supplying water to the City of Cape Town is currently 86% full, compared to 100% last year. This is according to the latest data released by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Read more about the Constitutional Court water rights case here.
“If we agree that the Western Cape will have a hotter and dryer climate in the future due to climate change, and if we include current population trends that see more than 100 000 people relocating to the Western Cape each year, we must do more in terms of water infrastructure,” Anton Bredell, Western Cape minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning said in response to the latest figures.
Bredell said he is concerned about the delays experienced with the Clanwilliam dam’s construction and will be asking to meet with the national minister of water and sanitation and the national minister of public works in this regard.
Read more about Western Cape dam levels here.
Bredell said local municipalities also have a responsibility to plan for water infrastructure. He recently visited George to inspect progress being made with an extension to their new water treatment works. George Municipality is constructing an extension of 20 megalitre per day to their water treatment works. This is a multi-year project with a budget of R263 million for civil engineering construction works and R220 million for mechanical and electrical works. The objective of the project is to ensure water security for the current population as well as for future developments.
Read more about Gariep Watch’s Orange river clean up here.
The minister has also been briefed on progress being made with a new reservoir in Worcester developed by the Breede Valley Municipality. The municipality is constructing a new 20 megalitre water reservoir to augment their future water needs. Construction on this R74 million project commenced in April this year and is scheduled for completion in August 2023. – Western Cape Department of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
