Theewaterskloof Dam near Villiersdorp File photo Theewaterskloof Dam near Villiersdorp File photo
You may have heard all about it in the media, or seen the pictures circulating on social media.
But the sheer magnitude of the current water crisis facing the Western Cape only hits you when you’re standing in the middle of barren land that used to be the 25-metre-deep
Theewaterskloof Dam near Villiersdorp.
The signs of an approaching potential drought in the province were visible from as far back as 2015, when rainfall was below the normal winter average.
It continued to decline in the winter that followed, and this year the repercussions of these dry winters have resulted in the dropping of dam levels, as well as the implementation of level 4 water restrictions across the Western Cape.
There are further concerns that if winter rainfall continues to decline, water availability will be even worse next year.
The dam storage levels are at 19.7%, with the available water at around 9.7% - as it’s difficult to extract the last 10% of water.
However, the city says it has plans in place should the winter rainfall not be enough to replenish the various dams.
Some of these plans include drilling into aquifers (including the Table Mountain aquifer), recycling water, as well as the installation of desalination plants.
To experience the full gravitas of the water crisis, the Weekend Argus visited Theewaterskloof Dam, one of the City of Cape Town’s major suppliers of water.
What we saw was shocking.
The sheer extent of the situation can only be experienced when looking at the largely barren site of what used to be a substantial and deep body of water.
Walking down to the dam from the road, it was difficult to comprehend that this stark and empty area of dry, cracked earth was once completely filled with water.
Trees that were once covered from top to bottom by water now stood tall and bare against the stark backdrop of numerous pockets of dry land.
Although the dam is not completely dry - its current capacity is at 13% - the water that still occupies Theewaterskloof Dam is a far cry from its former 25m depth.
The water’s edge does not even meet the dam’s embankment.
But we weren’t the only ones disturbed by what we saw at the dam.
Mlimandlela Ndamase, spokesperson for the Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane, said he had also visited the dam.
The seriousness of the situation hit him when he saw how empty it was.
Seeing where the watermark on the dam wall had been before compared to how low it stands now was an eye-opener, he said.
He also said the height of the bridge over the dam was testament to how high the water level used to be.
“The situation in the Western Cape is dire.
"We are in a desperate situation and what you saw at Theewaterskloof Dam is scary.”
But Xanthea Limberg, the city's mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services and energy, said resident should not panic about the issue of water.
She did, however, say a broader awareness of the situation was needed.
“We need collective efforts to consume water more efficiently.
"The city is working on acceleration supply schemes, and we have an emergency and disaster risk plan in place to make provision for water for essential purposes if we do not receive any rainfall,” Limberg said.