MBOMBELA – #DayZero is not on the cards for the Lowveld. Taps in Cape Town are expected to run dry on April 16 and experts warn that every metro in the country is soon to follow.

However, despite the city’s rapid growth, water shortage is unlikely to become a reality in the Lowveld.

After 10 years of lobbying for another dam to be built, four potential sites have been identified and feasibility studies are currently underway to determine where the new dam will be built.

These sites are subject to change and neither the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), nor the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), would divulge the locations.

Linda Grimbeek of the KLCBT is one of the stakeholders who has been been at the front of the tireless battle for approval.

“These studies need to be done by 2019, after which the building of the dam will commence,” she said.

The proposed completion of the project is set for 2024.

“The population in Mbombela is growing faster that that of Johannesburg and our infrastructure cannot handle it. One of the risks hereof is a potential risk for a serious water shortage in the future. Something had to be done to ensure that we don’t follow in the footsteps of the Western Cape,” said Grimbeek.

“We don’t live in a rainy country with occasional droughts, we live in a water scarce country with occasional rain.” This, according to the Department of Disaster Management, is something that needs to be understood and taken to heart.

There is an improvement of the provincial status in comparison to previous years.

In the Lowveld all the major dams recorded a decrease in water volumes in the past week, with only Da Gama remaining unchanged at 80,4 per cent.

Kwena decreased from 67,6 per cent to 66,6, Witklip decreased from 90,5 per cent to 88,7, Inyaka decreased from 76,3 per cent to 75,3 and Driekoppies recorded a decrease from 44,3 per cent to 44 .

The fact that there is a decrease, highlights that water preservation should not be put on the back-burner.

Spokesman for the DWS, Sputnik Ratau, explained that with the recent drought that forced SA to its knees, we cannot afford to become comfortable.

“South Africa is a water-stressed country, and the only way to answer to the demand for water that could potentially outstrip the supply in the dry season, lies in people changing their attitude and thus their behaviour to use water more wisely,” said Ratau.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, said Ratau, as the rain season is not over yet and above normal rainfall is in the forecast.

According to a long-term forecaster at the South African Weather Service, Cobus Olivier, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is expected to remain in a weak La Niña phase through to early autumn.

This suggests above-normal rainfall is expected later in the summer, but can extend towards early autumn for the far north-eastern parts of the country.

A report that was released last week, stated that potential flooding remains a concern through early autumn.

“It is advised that early warning systems from the South African Weather Service be followed throughout the end of the summer season as well as the start of autumn for the north-eastern parts of the country.”

Lower temperatures on average are also expected throughout the early autumn period, as consistent cloud cover and rainfall are expected to be more dominant than usual.

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