The level of water is now at 20% capacity.

The water situation in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape remains dire with dam levels continuing to drop.

The level of water is now at 20% capacity. This is despite the recent good rains which have fallen over the Western Cape.

There’s been no significant rain in the Nelson Mandela Bay this winter. It’s been three years since the supply dams were full.

The municipality continues to urge residents to save water; further restrictions are on the cards.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki says: “It actually means there is a part of that water that we cannot use, when they at 20, not all 20% we can use, the situation is very worrying.”

The metro’s saving grace is the Nooitgedacht water scheme which supplies water from the Gariep dam.

It currently adds about 140-million litres a day to metro’s water supply.

Phase three of this project is in the making and once it’s online it will be able supply more than 200-million litres a day, just more than half of the metro’s daily usage.

Some residents are heeding the call to cut back.

The war on leaks is also in full swing. Nearly 6000 were fixed in the first three months of the year.