Dam levels on the rise as rain, cold front batter Cape Town
Recent rain in the Western Cape owing to inclement weather has seen dam levels in the City of Cape Town rise by 2.3% over the past week.
Cold fronts hit several parts of the country last week, with the Western Cape experiencing wet, windy and chilly conditions on Thursday and Friday.
On Tuesday, mayoral committee member for water and waste services for the City of Cape Town, Xanthea Limberg, said currently, dam levels were sitting at 64.1%, up from 61.8 last week.
She noted too that dam levels have increased from previous years.
“Last year at this time, dam levels were at 56.3%. The previous year, they were at 27.2%,” said Limberg.
“The impact of the additional rainfall today (Tuesday) and expected rainfall for Thursday will be confirmed towards the end of the week,” she said.
Informal settlements affected:
On Tuesday, News24 reported that seven homes were destroyed by an uprooted tree in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay following Monday’s cold front in the Western Cape.
About 3 000 dwellings in the area – as well as the informal settlements in Masiphumelele and Makhaza – were affected.
The South African Weather Service had on Monday warned of strong winds and heavy rainfall over Cape Town and the surrounds, which are expected to last until early on Wednesday, as two cold fronts hit the metropole.
Predicted weather for the rest of the week noted that the cold front could potentially bring snowfall to some areas of the country, including the Western Cape.
760 incident reports:
By later in the day, it was expected that the snow would continue over the south Western Cape ranges with light snowfalls expected over the mountains ranges in the east of the Western Cape.
The City of Cape Town noted that last month it received 760 incident reports of severe weather damage, including flooding to varying degrees; roofs damaged or blown off by strong winds; trees and branches had fallen down, blocked drains, and power outages, among others.
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