The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) would like to urge water users and communities to continue conserving and using the available water sparingly and wisely as there is not much improvement in water levels in the Mpumalanga Province despite some rainfall.

According to the DWS weekly state of reservoirs of November 26, the Mpumalanga Province recorded a slight 0.4 per cent average increase on water volumes in the listed dams from last week’s 55.9 per cent to 56.3 per cent. This is about 10 per cent less than what was recorded at the same time last year. The Olifants water management area recorded a slight increase from 45.8 per cent to 46.3 per cent and the Inkomati-Usuthu catchment recorded no changes at 61.0 per cent.

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The listed dams in the Mpumalanga Province recorded mixed reactions over the week. Some dams continued to drop and those that recorded improvements saw minor increases in water volumes.

In the Ehlanzeni District, Driekoppies, Klipkoppie and Primkop dams recorded some slight improvements in water levels whilst the Da Gama Dam remained unchanged. On the downside, the Blyderivierpoort, Longmere, Witklip, Kwena and Inyaka dams recorded further declines in water volumes. What is worrying is that the important and strategic Kwena Dam further dropped from 29.2 per cent to 28.5 per cent.

In the Gert Sibande District, Grootdraai, Nooitgedacht, and Jericho dams recorded some improvements in water levels and the Westoe and Heyshope dams dropped in water volumes. Vygeboom and Morgenstond dams remained unchanged at 89.2 per cent and 36.0 per cent respectively.

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Witbank Dam was the only dam that recorded declines in water volumes from last week’s 79.2 per cent to 78.9 per cent in the Nkangala District. Middelburg, Loskop and Rhenosterkop dams recorded some increases in water volumes. The Rhenosterkop Dam which is critically low recorded an improvement from 0.4 per cent to 0.8 per cent.

The report clearly shows that even though we get some rainfall, it is not enough to fill the dams and make our rivers and streams overflow.
DWS therefore encourages water users to be more water savvy and conserve more as South Africa is a water scarce country with the situation exacerbated by climate change. Always remember, water has no substitute.