Data courtesy of City of Cape Town. Last updated

Background Information

In 2018, the City of Cape Town experienced its worst drought in over a century. This site was created to make that obvious to everyone.

Thankfully, in 2018 the region had a relatively bountiful rainy season, and the city was able to escape it's "Day Zero" plans for turning off the city's water supply.

Still, the region is stressed. Ultimately, it relies on a limited water supply that is highly subject to seasonal influence. Meanwhile, the population and water consumption continue to grow.

Historical Dam Levels for the Cape Town Region: 2012—Present

The easiest way to see trends and how bad the situation is today is by looking at this graph of the dam levels over time. This makes it clear both how severe the situation is and how scary the current drop-off is. The red line represents the estimated point at which the taps will be turned off, a.k.a. "Day Zero".

Show data for: 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years All Time