Cape Town’s dam levels after the recent blast of rain
· The South African
Cape Town’s dams have received a boost following recent rain across the Western Cape, with overall storage climbing to 76.6%.
The latest combined figures from the City of Cape Town show that 687 898 million litres are currently stored across the six major dams.
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That’s up from 75.9% on 4 September.
However, the latest figures also highlight the gap between Cape Town’s water position now and this time last year.
The combined storage level stood at 92.3% on 21 September 2025. This year’s figure is therefore 15.7 percentage points lower.
Dam levels get a boost after rain
The City’s latest figures show increases at most of the major dams compared with the previous week. Berg River is now 94.2% full, up from 91.2%.
Steenbras Upper has also jumped from 83.6% to 95%. Theewaterskloof edged up from 76.3% to 76.8%.
Voëlvlei increased from 58.6% to 59.2%, while Wemmershoek climbed from 88.6% to 89.5%.
Steenbras Lower recorded the biggest percentage increase over the week. Its level rose from 47.7% to 50.4%.
Current Dam Water Levels for Cape Town:
Major damsStorageMl% Capacity when full 21/9/2026 Berg River130 01094.2Steenbras Lower33 51750.4Steenbras Upper31 76795.0Theewaterskloof480 18876.8Voëlvlei164 09559.2Wemmershoek58 64489.5Total Stored Ml898 221687 898% Storage 76.6‘Water supply remains secure’
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.
City officials are trying to avoid a repeat of the 2017/18 Cape Town water crisis, and the looming threat of a ‘Day Zero.’
As such, Dr Zahid Badroodien, Cape Town’s MMC for Water and Sanitation, allayed fears that Capetonians would be hit with water restrictions.
“Our city’s water supply remains secure in the immediate term,” Badroodien said on Monday. “We currently do not anticipate any water shortages.”
However, he did warn that the stored water must support a wider region through the hotter and drier summer months, until the next winter rainfall season.
The Western Cape Water Supply System also supplies other municipalities and the agricultural sector. The City says it is monitoring dam levels, rainfall and water demand.
City urges residents to use water responsibly
Badroodien said the City is continuing with pressure management, leak detection and repairs.
Other measures include pipe replacements and treated effluent use as an alternative water supply. The City is also investing in groundwater abstraction, water reuse and other diversified sources.
“Our water security is a regional responsibility,” Badroodien added. “We are engaging other municipalities as well as other users of the Western Cape water supply system to ensure a coordinated approach.”
“We continue to ask our residents and businesses to please help us reduce our water footprint and our water demand by using water responsibly.”
Click here for the City of Cape Town’s top water-saving tips