Mpumalanga continues to record decline in water levels as expected as it is in the dry winter season. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) weekly state of reservoirs report of 05 July 2021, the average water levels in the listed dams in the Mpumalanga Province continued in the decline mode and recorded a drop from last week’s 84.7% to 84.4% which is better than the 72.7% recorded during the same period last year. The water management areas (WMA) also continue to record drops in water volumes with the Olifants WMA dropping from 77.6% to 77.3% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA dropping from 90.9% to 90.6%. In as much as the dam levels continue to drop, the Longmere Dam in the Ehlanzeni District and the Loskop Dam in the Nkangala District recorded some improvements in water levels increasing from 90.5% to 96.9% and 96.1% to 96.4% respectively. Driekoppies and Da Gama dams in the Ehlanzeni District remained unchanged at 100.2% and 98.4% respectively. On the decline mode in the Ehlanzeni District and Lowveld, Blyderivierpoort Dam dropped from 100.3% to 100.2%, Buffelskloof from 100.1% to 99.2%, Klipkopjes from 99.8% to 99.6%, Witklip from 99.2% to 98.6%, Primkop from 100.4% to 100.2%, Kwena from 100.1% to 100.0%, Inyaka from 85.5% to 85.0% and Ohrigstad from 71.7% to 70.1%. All the listed dams in the Gert Sibande District recorded declines in water volumes. Grootdraai Dam dropped from 87.5% to 86.5%, Nooitgedacht from 94.9% to 94.5%, Vygeboom from 99.9% to 99.3%, Jericho from 78.6% to 77.6%, Westoe from 73.7% to 72.2%, Morgenstond from 85.2% to 84.9% and Heyshope from 86.0% to 85.8%. Dams that dropped in water volumes in the Nkangala District include Witbank Dam from 93.7% to 92.8%, Middelburg from 88.6% to 87.9% and the Rhenosterkop from 8.7% to 8.5%. In light of the continuing decline in water volumes in storage in the Mpumalanga Province, the Department of Water and Sanitation urges the public as water users to be more conservative in their water use and ensure that every drop of this precious resource is used wisely and sparing as water has no substitute.
Source: Department of Water & Sanitation