Rustenburg - Dam levels in South Africa have improved thanks to last week’s rainfall.
According to the weekly report from the Department of Water and Sanitation, there was a huge improvement in water levels in the country’s reservoirs to 96.6% this week as compared with last week’s 89.8%.
“This is due to recent rainfall in most parts of the country. This is a huge improvement of the national average as compared to last year’s 77.9%,” departmental spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said.
He said the rainfalls have also improved the country’s water supply systems, which have been in a downward spiral in the past weeks.
“The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), which consists of 14 dams in four provinces, is sitting at 101.2% this week, a notable improvement from last week’s 93.3%.
“Part of the IVRS is the Vaal Dam, which supplies water to Gauteng province. Vaal Dam is now at full capacity to 106.4% this week, compared to last week’s 91.3%. This huge overflow of the dam resulted in opening eight sluice gates to ease the pressure on the infrastructure and manage the continuing inflows," he said.
Other provinces that have experienced a significant increase in the water levels this week include the Free State from 96.8% percent to 107.5%.
Mpumalanga provincial levels rose from 89.3% to 93.7%, KwaZulu-Natal from 85.3% to 88%, the North West from 72.4% to 81.2%, Limpopo from 82.5% to 85.5%, and the Northern Cape from 96.1% to 96.8%.
However, the Western Cape saw a decrease to 67.8% this week from last week’s 69.3%.
The dam levels in the Western Cape were standing at 81.4% last year at this time, meaning there was a decline when compared with last year, due to less rains this past winter rainy season in that province.
"Due to lack of rainfall in the Western Cape, the provincial water levels are on a steady decline from 69.3% last week to 67.8% this week. It is the same with the Cape Town Water Supply System that consists of dams that supply water to the City of Cape Town and surrounding areas.
“The system is sitting at 77.8% this week, a concerning drop from last week’s 79.5%,” said Ratau.
In the North West, the Roodekopjes Dam was up from 78.1% to 88.6%, Olifantsnek Dam has also increased from 69.6% to 102.3% and Ngotwane Dam has increased from last week’s 39.6% to 49.80%.
Bospoort Dam located near Rustenburg has marginally increased from 102.6% to 104.3%, while Klipvoor Dam has recorded 97.4% from 72.6% recorded in the previous week.
Molatedi Dam near Zeerust remains below average at 39% from 36.7%.
Hartbeespoort Dam near Brits was above average at 99.2% from 97.6%. Taung Dam, which supplies water to Taung and surrounding areas, has increased from 94% to 99.3%.
The Vaalkop and Marico-Bosveld dams have recorded 103.9% and 102.2% respectively. The dams stood at 78.2% and 84.7% last week.
Madikwe Dam has increased from 43.4% to 51%.
Boskop Dam increased to 111% from 101%. Koster Dam increased to 96. 5% from 45% while Setumo Dam remained steady at 77.9% from last week’s 76.9%.
Disaneng and Lindleyspoort dams are currently standing at 63.4 percent and 105.3 percent respectively, after recording 62.3 percent and 58.4 percent.
IOL