‘No decision to implement water restrictions’ in Cape Town as dry winter persists

Cape Town’s dam levels remain well below those recorded last year, but the City has pushed back against reports that water restrictions could be introduced within weeks.

As of Friday, 4 September, the City’s figures show the six major dams supplying Cape Town are currently 75.9% full, with 681 610 million litres of water stored.

The year-on-year picture is considerably less comforting.

For the week of 31 August 2026, combined capacity of 76.3% was 16.2 percentage points lower than the figure of 92.5% recorded on the same date in 2025.

Nonetheless, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Cape Town’s Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation, says the situation remains manageable.

“No decision has been taken to implement water restrictions at this stage,” he told The South African.

His comments follow reports on Friday suggesting that restrictions could be introduced within weeks, potentially threatening the city’s summer water supply.

Water restrictions aren’t yet on the cards

Badroodien said the City is monitoring the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) closely because of the prolonged dry conditions.

Cape Town has witnessed a drier-than-usual winter in 2026, while large parts of the south-western Western Cape experienced their driest July on record as the global effects of El Niño are being felt.

Unlike other major South African cities, Cape Town has a ‘Mediterranean’ climate, with most of the rain falling in winter.

The WCWSS is shared between Cape Town, other municipalities and the agricultural sector.

Badroodien says the City is working with the national Department of Water and Sanitation and other stakeholders before deciding on any drastic response.

“Should water restrictions become necessary, this would be considered in the context of the broader WCWSS position and communicated clearly to residents and businesses,” he added.

The latest figures show that Theewaterskloof Dam is 76.5% full, while Berg River and Wemmershoek are both above 90%. Voëlvlei remains the lowest of the six major dams at 59.7%.

Badroodien acknowledged that declining surface-water levels requires close monitoring.

Current Dam Water Levels for Cape Town, 4 September 2026:

Major dams

Storage

Ml

%

Capacity when full

4/9

/2026

Berg River130 01091.3Steenbras Lower33 51749.5Steenbras Upper31 76785.1Theewaterskloof480 18876.5Voëlvlei164 09559.7Wemmershoek58 64491.8

Total Stored Ml

898 221681 610

% Storage

75.9

Taking the heat off water resources

The City says it is already taking steps to reduce pressure on available water supplies.

These include accelerating leak repairs, replacing ageing infrastructure, managing water pressure and clearing invasive alien vegetation from catchments.

It is also continuing efforts to diversify Cape Town’s water sources.

City officials are trying to avoid a repeat of the 2017/18 Cape Town water crisis, and the looming threat of a ‘Day Zero.’

Residents urged to save water now

Despite no water restrictions being announced, Badroodien is urging residents and businesses to cut unnecessary water use.

“A sustained reduction in demand across the city will help preserve our available surface-water supply and give the wider system greater resilience while we wait for improved rainfall,” he said.

While a cut-off low weather system brought wet conditions to parts of the Western Cape this week, including the Overberg district, it is difficult to say at this stage whether rain fell in Cape Town’s catchment areas.

“The run-off usually takes a day or two to get to the dams,” the councillor added.

Click here for the City of Cape Town’s top water-saving tips