Cape Town's dry winter and El Niño
Cape Town's dry winter followed a violent wet May. What the quiet, warm spell and a strengthening El Niño mean for the dams and the summer ahead.
Articles · long-form notes from the project
Articles
In-depth articles about Cape Town's water supply, dam levels, conservation, and drought history.
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Western Cape dam levels, explained
The Western Cape Water Supply System spans six dams and 898,000 megalitres of capacity. Here is how each one works and what the levels mean for Cape Town.
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El Niño 2026 and Cape Town's dams
El Niño 2026 is strengthening while Cape Town's dams sit near 75 percent. Why May's wet burst has faded, and what the Pacific means for the season ahead.
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Cape Town water restrictions, explained
Cape Town water restrictions explained: current level, how the City's system works from Level 1 to Level 6B, and the 2017-2018 drought history.
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Cape Town water supply disruptions
Why cape town water supply disruptions happen, how the six-dam network moves water across the metro, and where to check when your tap runs dry.
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Cape Town rainfall by month
Cape Town rainfall by month follows a tight Mediterranean pattern: June and July do the heavy lifting, summer averages nothing. Decade of data charted.
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Theewaterskloof Dam, explained
Theewaterskloof Dam holds 479 Mm³ and anchors Cape Town's water supply. See its live level, a decade of history, and how the 2018 Day Zero crisis unfolded.
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Cape Town desalination, explained
Cape Town's R5-billion desalination plant adds 70 ML/day by 2031. What desalination, reuse and groundwater fix, and what stays with the rain.
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Cape Town drought: a data case study
A data case study of the Cape Town drought 2015–18: how dams fell from 71% to 21%, why Day Zero was averted, and what the WCWSS numbers say today.
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Day Zero in Cape Town, explained
How close Cape Town came to running its taps dry in 2018, what Day Zero meant in litres and percentages, and why the 13.5% threshold still matters.
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El Niño & Cape Town rainfall
El Niño explained for Cape Town: how the Pacific cycle works, why ENSO is a weak signal for the city's winter rains, and what 2015-17 actually showed.