Free State has broken the record with its amazingly high dam levels in the midst of a dry winter. Currently, the province compares favourably with Western Cape whose traditional winter rains have elevated the levels to 86,2% this week. Free State boasts some of the biggest dams in the country with one of these supplying water to part of the north-eastern Eastern Cape to keep the water resources in that area afloat.
Gariep Dam, the biggest water reservoir in the country, is currently at 87,4% while Vanderkloof has almost reached its capacity at 98,6%. Sterkfontein, the reserve dam for the Integrated Vaal River System, has also reached its capacity standing at 99,9%.
Second after the Free State is Gauteng, which because of the small nature of its dams, fill up at the slightest positive activity. The current level of Gauteng’s dams is 96,3%. Despite the absence of rain because of the dry winter, Bon Accord Dam, north of Pretoria is bursting at the seams with a level of 104,2% while Rietvlei Dam on the outskirts of the capital city, has almost reached its capacity at 99,8%. The heavy winter rainfall has boosted the average dam levels in Western Cape to 86,2%.
Read:Vaal Dam Overtakes Last Year’s Levels, Impacts Positively on the IVRS
The province has recovered from the worst drought conditions that plunged it to a near-total absence of water in 2018. Although the province has recovered from the situation, the Central Karoo region still remains dry. While in January the Tropical Cyclone Eloise damaged some infrastructure in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, it helped to increase the dam levels in winter at an average 82,9%.
The current reading of levels in both provinces is 82,9% and 82,3% respectively. However, the situation in Mopani District of Limpopo remains a concern with dam levels that are running below 10%. The Department of Water and Sanitation is in the process of raising the Tzaneen Dam wall to facilitate the availability of more water in the citrus region.
Dam levels in North West and KwaZulu-Natal are above high level as the former province recorded 79,3% while the latter recorded 68,3%. However, Eastern Cape – with its persistent drought – remains a source of concern as the average dam levels hover at 50,5%. There are fears that the province might be headed for yet another dry season when the summer rains begin in two months.
It is always important to see what the state of the different Water Supply Systems across the country is like. The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), the biggest in the country and served by fourteen dams with catchments in various provinces and the Kingdom of Lesotho, stands at 85% this week.
The two Systems in the Eastern Cape remain a cause for concern in line with the Province. The Algoa Supply System stands at 10,6% for a second week running, whilst the Amathole WSS stands at a Department of Water and Sanitation South Africa DWS_RSA slightly better level of 30,3%. The Butterworth WSS stands at a paltry 11,0%, and the Klipplaat WSS stands at 24,0%; not very encouraging. In the KZN province, the Umgeni WSS is at a healthy 78,2% this week.
The Department of Water and Sanitation appeals to South Africans across the spectrum to continue saving water to ensure sustenance of livelihoods and to boost the economy
