With the festive season and school holidays approaching, visitors to George in the Western Cape, as well as residents, have been cautioned to use water sparingly.
Lower than average winter rainfall at the Garden Route Dam has seen dam water levels drop to around 53%.
The local municipality has already introduced water restrictions.
Municipal spokesperson, Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe, says, "So, we are in a period of increasing water stress. The municipality has convened a Water Management Task Team to respond pro-actively to coordinate interventions and monitor consumption across all sectors. In short, we are not waiting until we have a water crisis. That's why we are urging all residents, businesses and institutions to rather conserve water now."