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A map of the major dams that supply water to Cape Town. The Cape Town region experiences a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and winter rainfall. The Western Cape Water Supply System relies almost entirely on rainfall, which is captured and stored in six major dams situated in mountainous areas. [10]
That could mean weeks without water from taps — at a time when the hot weather is keeping demand for water high. The arrival of chilly winter in the Southern Hemisphere is still weeks away.
In many cases, the district municipalities are the water services authorities. However, the national government can assign responsibility for service provision to local municipalities. Overall, there are 169 water services authorities in South Africa, including water boards, district municipalities, local municipalities and municipal companies.
The 2023 Western Cape floods were a devastating series of floods affecting the Western Cape province of South Africa as a result of heavy rainfall on 24-25 September 2023. [1] The flooding resulted in at least 11 fatalities, the closure of over 200 roads, and over 80,000 people being left without electricity.
Water Supply in South Africa is a critical matter since the country is a water-scarce country [41] The debate among experts was, at one time, whether this scarcity could be attributed to physical or economic factors. As of 2009, the consensus was that South Africa was not facing a water crisis. [42] These opinions may need to be revised.
Communal tap (standpost) for drinking water in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. May 2005. Groundwater plays a key role in sustaining water supplies and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa especially due to its widespread availability, generally high quality, and intrinsic ability to buffer episodes of drought and increasing climate variability.
Water security has many different aspects: a communal tap for water supply in Soweto, South Africa; residents standing in flood water in Kampala, Uganda; water pollution can lead to eutrophication, harmful algal blooms and fish kills; the town of Farina in South Australia abandoned due to years of drought and dust storms.
South Africa is a sunny country, averaging 8–10 daily sunshine hours in most regions. [2] The average annual rainfall for South Africa is about 464 mm (compared to a global average of 950 mm [3]) but large and unpredictable variations are common. Overall, rainfall is greatest in the east and gradually decreases westward, with some semi-desert ...