The Kwena Dam, which is critical for water supply in the capital of Mpumalanga, the City of Mbombela, has dropped below the 90% mark after having held steady for a number of months since the heavy rain associated with Tropical Storm Eloise earlier this year.

According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly state of reservoirs report on September 27, Kwena Dam declined by 2.1% from last week’s 90.1%, to 88% as recorded this week.

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The water levels also continue to drop in other listed dams in the Lowveld and Ehlanzeni District. Blyderivierpoort Dam dropped from 87.8% to 86.1%, Buffelskloof from 79.6% to 75.9%, Driekoppies from 96.4% to 95.5%, Longmere from 81.9% to 78.1%, Witklip from 90.7% to 88.9%, Primkop from 74.5% to 73.6%, Da Gama from 91.8% to 90% and Inyaka from 79.6% to 79%.

Klipkopjes Dam recorded a slight improvement from 91.3% to 92.8% and Ohrigstad Dam remained unchanged at 51.5%.

The continuous decline in water levels in the Lowveld is in line with the provincial situation in which the average dam levels dropped from 78.2% to 77.1%. The water management levels (WMA) also continue to drop; the Olifants dropped from 71.2% to 70.4% and the Inkomati-Usuthu from 85.4% to 84.6%. However, the situation is still much better than last year when the average dam levels had stood at 65.9%, the Olifants WMA at 62.9% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA at 62.7%.

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In light of the continuous decline in water levels, the Department of Water and Sanitation continue to urge the public to use water wisely and in a more sparing manner, taking into consideration that South Africa is a water-scarce and dry country. The department would also like to remind the public that climate change is a reality and is impacting negatively on our water resources and availability, which makes it a critical resource that must be treasured and conserved at all times.