---
title: "Cape Town’s dam levels higher than this time last year"
description: "Cape Town’s Big Six dams are at 24% compared to 19.8% in the same week in 2017."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "GROUNDUP"
author: "GroundUp"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/groundup/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-05-28-cape-towns-dam-levels-higher-than-this-time-last-year/"
published: "2018-05-28T23:49:03"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 201
---

# Cape Town’s dam levels higher than this time last year

> Cape Town’s Big Six dams are at 24% compared to 19.8% in the same week in 2017.

By GroundUp · Published 29 May 2018, 01:49 SAST

## Content

*First published by*[*GroundUp*](https://www.groundup.org.za/article/cape-towns-dam-levels-higher-same-time-last-year/)

In the last couple of weeks the amount of water in the dams supplying Cape Town has overtaken the 2017 levels.

The City of Cape Town’s [Water Dashboard](http://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20research%20reports%20and%20review/damlevels.pdf) shows that as of 28 May the dam levels are at 24% versus 19.8% in the same week in 2017. Also, the dam levels rose nearly three percentage points from last week’s 21.1%. This is a consequence of the recent rain and Capetonians using much less water. Last week the city used a mere 505 million litres of water per day. Compare this to last year when on 29 May the City [said](http://www.capetown.gov.za/Media-and-news/Drought%20crisis%20warning%20tougher%20restrictions%20imminent):

“Disappointingly, consumption remains at 666 million litres \[daily\], which is above the consumption target of 600 million litres.”

The dam levels on 28 May 2018 versus the same week in 2017 are:

- Berg River: 43.3% vs 31%
- Steenbras Lower: 33.7% vs 23.8%
- Steenbras Upper: 60% vs 56.7%
- Theewaterskloof: 14.9% vs 13.8%
- Voëlvlei: 16.9% vs 14.6%
- Wemmershoek: 50.6% vs 36.1%

It is of course vital that Capetonians continue to use water frugally so that the dams can fill up and the risk of #DayZero can be avoided for at least a couple of years. **DM**