Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Central Water Authority (Dry Season) Regulations 2026 which will make provision for the sustainable management of the scarce water resources in light of acute rainfall deficits and seek to control the use of potable water for domestic and essential purposes mainly. A person holding a legal entitlement for a right to use water from a watercourse will be allowed to use such water for irrigation if that water will otherwise be lost to the sea. The Regulations will become effective as from 10 August 2026 and remain valid up to 30 November 2026. As at 04 August 2026, storage levels in the main reservoirs stood at 61.7% compared to 92.7% at the corresponding period in 2025. The Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities and the Central Water Authority have embarked on a communication campaign since the past weeks on the alarming state of the reservoirs’ storage levels, the rainfall deficits and the need to conserve water resources.