It is heartening that Cape Town's average dam level (53%) is double what it was this time last year. But there is no room for complacency and the city council is still pushing ahead with plans to get new water sources into its supply system.
It has little choice with the increased demand from a growing population and economy, and with climate change models predicting a drier Cape Town, News24 reported.
The early winter rains have given officials and politicians the breather they need to review the water augmentation schemes launched at the height of the drought crisis to establish the best mix.
City of Cape Town deputy mayor Ian Neilson said: "It's not a case of if we do this, but when and how. Our rainfall variability is very much greater than in the past, so we have to change our strategy of water supply. If we rely on surface water only, we could run into a similar situation."
This is a prudent break from the past, when City administrations shelved water supply augmentation plans, such as groundwater abstraction, once a drought had broken.
"Now that we have navigated our way through the immediate drought crisis, it is necessary that we review our water supply strategy and augmentation plans to ensure that what was devised in a time of crisis is appropriate for longer-term sustainability and resilience," Neilson said.
Water resilience is the new buzz phrase among water leaders and managers, and incorporates the idea that a city's water supply and usage need to be managed in a new way so that a city can anticipate and adapt to the shocks and stresses of water scarcity.
This video captures the impact of the first snowfall and big rains this winter on the city's main supply dam, Theewaterskloof, since the drought broke. Video: Cape Town Live
Neilson said the City was working with the World Bank, the Stockholm International Water Institute and 100 Resilient Cities to ensure that the revised augmentation programme was the best response to the reality of Cape Town's water situation.
Xanthea Limberg, the mayoral committee member for water and water services, said because of the intense drought, the City's augmentation programme had achieved in four months what would usually have taken two years to develop.
"Much experience has been gained over the past year through the development of the various projects and advice from professionals and experts, both locally and abroad. This knowledge is informing the current programme and priorities," Limberg said.
The City said any decision to lower current water restrictions, and thus the associated tariffs, depended on the national government relaxing restrictions on water releases from the dams.
The average water consumption for the past week was 510 million litres a day. “The City believes that current conditions warrant consideration of a relaxation of restrictions to appropriate levels. New water and sanitation tariffs have kicked in and the City reminds all water users that you pay less if you use less,” said Neilson.