Cape Town can expect more wet weather

More than double the average amount of rain fell in Cape Town in April, prompting hopes that a wet winter will fill the city's almost-empty storage dams. And more rain is forecast for the rest of the week.

The long-term average rainfall for April at Cape Town International Airport is 55.5mm, but 92.8mm was measured last month. Kirstenbosch had 131.3mm.

The long-term average for May is 76.7mm.

Cape Town's dams are now 29.1 percent full, up on a month ago. But the dams lost 0,4 percent in the last week of April.

With more rain, Capetonians saved 76 percent of their targets last month, improving on 69.6 percent in March.

This brings the average success rate for the first seven months of the water-saving campaign up to 57.7 percent.

Capetonians have saved about 38 073 million kilolitres of water out of a total 66 million kilolitre target to be achieved by September 30.

Trading services councillor for trading services, Saleem Mowzer, said: "This is a satisfactory performance, but we must continue to strive to come within the maximum reach of the monthly targeted saving."

While the dams have more water in them than a month ago, they are still woefully short of water for this time of year.

In May last year the dam levels stood at 36.8 percent full; in 2003 they were 58 percent full and in 2002 they were on average 67.9 percent full.

Mowzer said: "The rainfall we've had has clearly not had a significant impact on our dams because it has not been sustained and because the dams have to be filled from an already extremely low base level."

"Dam levels actually decreased by 0.4 percent between April 25 and May 1, and this reaffirms the need for residents to continue their commitment to the conservation of our precious water resources."

On Tuesday the total contents of the five main dams supplying Cape Town were:

Wemmershoek 35,2 percent, Steenbras Lower Dam 39.3 percent, Steenbras Upper Dam 54.6 percent, Voelvlei 21.6 percent and Theewaterskloof 28.5 percent.