Fear of water shortages
2011-09-08
THOUGH good rains have recently fallen across the Valley, has it been too little too late? The rainfall in Paarl since May, 2011, has been almost half of what it was last year. The question then arises how this water shortage could affect water usage in the hot summer months ahead. The main storage dams that feed the area are about 6% lower than this time last year, at 87%. Water reserves in Nantes and Bethel Dams on Paarl Mountain are also substantially lower than 2010. Nantes Dam has 34,4% of its capacity compared to 82,56% last year. Bethel Dam stands at 87,7% compared to 102,2% in 2010. The Municipality plans to supplement Nantes Dam with water from the Berg River later this year. Currently there are no plans to implement water restrictions and there is hope that more rains could fall in September and October. The various water departments of the Cape Town and surrounds catchment areas under which Paarl falls, will meet in October to discuss the general water situation as well as possible water restrictions. The public is asked to be thoughtful and careful with water consumption and treat this as a valuable commodity.
More
News
|
