The water level at Theewaterskloof dam, one of Cape Town's main reservoirs, was dangerously low on June 7, when Straits Times environment correspondent Audrey Tan visited. The city was on severe water restrictions at the time due to a three-year-long drought.

The dry weather had caused the water supplies of South Africa's second most populous city to dwindle to alarming levels, resulting in the possibility of a day, known as "Day Zero", when all its taps would be turned off and its residents required to queue for water rations.

But lowered water consumption by Cape Town residents and spells of rain since then have helped to increase the water levels in the city's dams.

As of Thursday, the collective water levels of Cape Town's dams stood at 75 per cent full.

TOMORROW: Look out for the second of the weekly series in The Sunday Times: When taps run dry.