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DAM-L Cape Town faces water restrictions/LS (fwd)
----- Forwarded message from Lori Pottinger -----
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Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 10:01:22 -0800
To: irn-safrica@netvista.net
From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger)
Subject: Cape Town faces water restrictions/LS
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Cape Argus
Water restrictions in the pipeline for CT
July 07 2000 at 10:25PM
By Lenore Oliver
Cape Town's water authorities have warned of possible water restrictions
this summer to reduce household consumption by 10 percent.
Poor rainfall so far this winter means supplies are diminishing and dam
levels are down on last year.
There are growing fears that if insufficient rain falls in the parched
Western Cape during the next month or so, water restrictions will be
unavoidable.
But some relief is on the way as a cold front is expected on Tuesday and
some showers could fall from Sunday.
The average May rainfall over the past 40 years is 74,6mm and June 98,6mm.
This year 62,3mm fell in May and 92,6mm in June. No rain has fallen this
month.
The five major dams supplying water to Cape Town hold 54,4 percent of
capacity compared with 59,8 percent this time last year.
The main dams supplying Western Cape households are the Voelvlei,
Wemmershoek, Steenbras Upper, Steenbras Lower and Theewaterskloof.
The largest, Theewaterskloof, is 62,7 percent full compared to 66,3 percent
this time last year.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry regional director Bertrand van Zyl
said the demands from the dams were increasing annually because of growth in
demand in urban and agricultural areas.
"Generally, run-off of rivers and filling of dams is expected around the
middle of May each year.
"Although the rains are later than average it is not very unusual to get
good run-off only by the middle to the end of June.
"The dam levels are generally lower than last year because of the long and
hot summer conditions we experienced.
"Dam levels for the next summer season will depend on winter rainfall
conditions and run-off," Van Zyl said.
Diversion canals were feeding the Voelvlei dam from surrounding rivers.
The unusually warm and dry winter so far this year is posing a serious
threat to crops.
Pears and apples are especially vulnerable to high temperatures and grapes
could also be affected unless rain falls.
Grain crops, especially Swartland wheat, could suffer if there is no rain in
the next couple of weeks.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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----- End of forwarded message from Lori Pottinger -----