The Department of Water and Sanitation has urged the public to be careful in the manner they consume water to ensure the country has enough water stored until the summer rains soak the country.

The call follows the department’s weekly report on the state of the reservoir, which showed a rapid decline in most dams across the country due to the dry winter season.

Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau, noted that, with the exception of the Western Cape, most parts of the country experience satisfactory rains in summer, however South Africa remains a dry country when compared to the rest of the world.

“The amount of water stored in our reservoirs across the country has taken a knock this week, declining to 83.8% level from last week’s 84.1%. This implied that we have 26 908.3 cubic metres avail for us out of a capacity of 32 116.4 cubic metres,” Ratau said in a statement.

The North West has seen a slight decrease in level of dams, dropping to 81.4% this week compared to last week’s 82.0%. Mpumalanga dam levels have also slightly decreased to 85.7% this week, compared to last week’s 86.0%, as well as Limpopo whose water level declined from last week’s 86.6% to 86.4% this week.

Drought effects continue to affect EC

Drought effects continue to affect most part of Eastern Cape, with Nelson Mandela Bay being the most affected area facing acute water challenges.

“Even though the provincial water storage is above 50% at 59.9%, a slight increase from 52.7% last week, the Algoa Water Supply System with five dams supplying the Nelson Mandela Bay is at a paltry 11.8% this week.

“The department is also making interventions by supplying water with water tankers in areas that are experiencing water supply challenges across the province. These measures will allow communities to have access to fresh water,” Ratau said.

In Gauteng, the dam levels remained steady at 99.1%, whilst Free State dropped from last week’s 97.2% to 96.8% this week.

The Northern Cape dams is the only province which has seen an improvement in its dam levels this week with 93.1% compared to 88.7% last week. The province’s Vaalharts and Douglas Storage Weirs are at 93.3% and 110.5% levels, respectively. 

Source: South African Government News Agency