Steady rains driven by at least two cold fronts which enveloped the Western Cape in the past few weeks, has resulted in a major increase in dam levels in the province, with the Clanwilliam Dam on the West Coast alone rising by over 20% in only a week.

Good rainfall saw the Clanwilliam Dam rise to 71.6%, up by 24.3%, while the Theewaterskloof, the Western Cape’s biggest dam, increased by 8.6% from last week to reach 61.7%.

Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said the latest average level for dams across the province is 56.6%.

A year ago, it stood at 50.5%.

The City of Cape Town’s dams stood at 56.4% in 2018, but is currently on 72% full.

“Four of the five major catchment areas now see dam levels in excess of 50% full. The ongoing problem area is the Gouritz River catchment area which feeds a big part of the interior Karoo region. We remain concerned regarding the ongoing drought challenge particularly to the agriculture sector in this region,” Bredell said in a statement this week.

The Gouritz River catchment is currently on 23.89%, up from last week’s 23.76.

Last year, it stood at a lowly 19.37%

The other two major dams are the Voëlvlei and Bergriver dams.

The Voelvlei is currently 74.4% full. Last week it stood at 69.1% and in 2018, 58.8%.

The Bergriver Dam is 100% full this week, compared to 92.7% full last week and 86% a year ago.

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