The City of Cape Town plans to produce 300 million litres of new water per day by 2031 as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on dams and strengthen long-term water security.
The announcement was made during a water update briefing on Wednesday, where officials confirmed that the metro remains under an early drought caution introduced in October after dam levels began declining and demand remained persistently high.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the city is not currently facing a crisis but warned that the risk of restrictions cannot be ruled out.
“We may not be in a crisis situation at the moment, but we need to adjust our water usage and behaviour now to avert, as far as possible, the risk of restrictions,” he said.
The New Water Programme aims to diversify supply through desalination, water reuse, and groundwater abstraction, marking a shift away from primarily relying on surface water from dams.
Technical Services Manager Lloyd Fisher Jeffes said dam levels have been dropping by about 2% in recent months, while water demand has remained above the city’s target of 975 million litres per day since November, placing additional strain on available resources.
“There is a risk that restrictions could be implemented between July and November, depending on rainfall this winter,” Jeffes said.
Officials said further updates will be provided as winter rainfall patterns become clearer, particularly in June and August — key months in the Western Cape hydrological year.
Residents have once again been encouraged to curb consumption as the city continues to monitor dam performance and seasonal forecasts.
Photo: Vocfm
