Water · Chart
Cape Town's dams held 48.3% in early May 2026, against 59.9% a year earlier
59.9% Same week, 2025 · Highest
Dam levels rose by one percentage point in a week, but were still 11.6 points lower than a year earlier. The city remained on early drought caution.
From our storiesWhat's up in Cape Town ? The Weekly | 4-11 May 2026Read the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is combined dam storage for the Cape Town system, as a percentage of full capacity, at the first week of May.
4 May 2026: 48.3%.
Same week, 2025: 59.9%.
Both figures are printed in the article's chart caption. The article gives the week rather than an exact 2025 date, so the earlier bar is dated to the matching week, 4 May 2025.
Sources: City of Cape Town (https://www.capetown.gov.za/) whose Weekly Water Dashboard dated 4 May 2026 the article credits. The link is to the publisher, not the exact dashboard page.
Figures as published in our Cape Town Weekly for 4 to 10 May 2026 (chart last checked 14 September 2026): the City of Cape Town Weekly Water Dashboard dated 4 May 2026.
Chart updated · 24 Oct 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
Related charts
How full are Cape Town’s six big dams?
100.2% Steenbras Upper · Highest
Select a bar to inspect its value.
Each bar shows how full one dam is. A small dam that is full can still hold less water than a big dam that is half empty.
Source: City of Cape Town · All bars start at zero
One dam can hold more water than the other five together
480.2million m³ Theewaterskloof · Highest
Select a bar to inspect its value.
Theewaterskloof can hold more than half of all the water Cape Town’s dams can store.
Source: City of Cape Town · All bars start at zero
Which dam holds most of Cape Town’s water?
350.5million m³ Theewaterskloof · Highest
Select a bar to inspect its value.
Theewaterskloof holds the most water, even though some smaller dams are fuller.
Source: City of Cape Town · All bars start at zero