The heavens opened in the Western Cape over the past week with Cape Town in dire need of rain. While there have been a few heavy days of rain, has it made any difference to the water shortage in the city and province?
Speaking to Ray White on The Midday Report, spokesperson for the Department of Water Affairs Sputnik Ratau said the rain was slightly better for Cape Town.
There is an improvement of 1 percentage pint.
— Sputnik Ratau, Department of Water Affairs spokesperson
Obviously these are still early days for us to be doing a song and dance.
— Sputnik Ratau, Department of Water Affairs spokesperson
He says Voelvlei has risen from 13.7% to 14.25%, and Theewaterskloof has risen from around the 10% mark to 11,02%.
Desalination remains an important option for the future, he acknowledges.
The National Water Department prefer not to use the term Day Zero, he says, but around mid June there should be a better assessment of the situation.
We need at least two good rainy seasons to get back to the levels of a few years ago, even three or four.
— Sputnik Ratau, Department of Water Affairs spokesperson