Pretoria – The Department of Water and Sanitation urged the public to use water wisely as national dam levels continue to decline, as the winter season is in full swing.
According to the assessment conducted by the department on Monday, dam levels are currently sitting on an average of 71.6%, compared with 71.9% the previous week.
Last year, at the same time, national water storage was at 53.8.2%.
“There has been a falloff in average dam levels in all provinces. The Algoa system, which consists of five dams serving Nelson Mandela Bay is at 35.7% this week, compared with 36.4% last week, which is a decrease of 0.7%.
“The Amatola system, entailing six dams serving Buffalo City, saw a decrease of 0.9% in the previous week. It was reported at 67.9% last week and is currently sitting at 67.1% this week,” the department reported on Wednesday.
Cape Town Dams system
The Cape Town Dams system, serving mainly the City of Cape Town, is currently sitting at 22.7%, a slight increase from the previous week.
However, the department warned that the city is still a long way off from breaking this ongoing drought.
“Voelvlei Dam sitting at 18.2%, an increase of 1% compared to the previous week and Theewaterskloof Dam swelled by a mere 2% and is currently sitting at 17.2%. Level 4 restrictions remain in place, and all consumers have been urged to use less than 100 litres per person per day in total,” the department said.
Umgeni Dam system
Umgeni Dam System, serving mainly eThekwini and Msunduzi in KwaZulu-Natal, saw a decrease of 0.6% and is at 63.1%.
Other KwaZulu-Natal dams, which remain low, include Phongolo at 39.8% and Goedertrouw at 34.0%, making a slight increase of 0.2% from last week.
Vaal River system
The Vaal River system serving mainly Gauteng, Sasol and Eskom is at 83.3%, compared with 83.5% last week.
Sterkfontein Dam is steady at 90.7% and Grootdraai Dam has decreased by 1.4% and is now at 88.4%.
In the Orange River System, Gariep Dam is decreasing week-on-week and is currently at 83.5%, a decrease of 1.3%.
Polokwane System has remained steady for the past two weeks and is currently sitting at 64.1%.
“Water restrictions will remain in all the other provinces, with the exception of Gauteng. Residents are urged to continue using water sparingly,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
