This week, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) hosted a media tour at Theewaterskloof Dam, the biggest dam in the Western Cape which forms part of the water supply system. At the moment, the dam holds 11, 05 % potable water, a notable decline compared to 28, 09% last year.
The walkabout was aimed at showcasing the drilling of boreholes and emergency work underway at the Theewaterskloof dam basin. DWS has said that a plan is underway to access the unusable 10% of water still available in Theewaterskloof Dam.
DWS Regional Head Rashid Khan said, “Yes, we have some work done at Theewaterskloof so we can access the water lying below the outlet pipe. So that 10% we talk about is below the outlet pipe. We are trying to put in cofferdam, so we can put in a wall and make the dam a little bit smaller in a way. We can then rise the water so it goes into the outlet.”
In a statement released on Sunday DWS said they are also currently assisting with drilling into the Table Mountain Group Aquifer as part of the effort to combat the water scarcity in the area.
Western Cape DWS Regional Head talks about the drilling that’s underway at the Theewaterskloof dam pic.twitter.com/UaooGPSIy4
— Water&SanitationRSA (@DWS_RSA) February 22, 2018
The department has stressed that the drought is a huge cause for concern and they are looking into all avenues.
The City of Cape Town last week moved “Day Zero” to July 9. This is the day all taps will be switched off and residents will be allocated only 25L per day.
Currently, the city is under level 6B water restrictions and households have been rationed 50litres of water per person, per day to reduce domestic consumption.
Picture: Adrian Flack