Continued decline of Mpumalanga dam levels

Water levels continue to drop in Mpumalanga.

According to the latest Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) weekly state of reservoirs report of October 3, the average dam levels in the province recorded a decline from 91.8% to 91.3% over the week.

In the water management areas (WMA), the Olifants dropped from 81.5% to 80.8% and the Inkomati-Usuthu dropped from 95.7% to 95.3%.

Only two listed dams recorded some improvements in water levels and two others remained unchanged, whilst the rest recorded declines in water volumes.

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The dams that recorded some improvements are Klipkopjes and Da Gama in the Ehlanzeni District recording increases from 96.7% to 97.4% and 85.5% to 93.7% respectively. The Grootdraai and Vygeboom dams in the Gert Sibande District remained unchanged at 93.3% and 99.8% respectively.

On the downside, in the Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld, Blyderivierpoort Dam dropped from 85.4% to 83%, Buffelskloof from 90.2% to 86.7%, Driekoppies from 99.4% to 99%, Longmere from 85.4% to 82.7%, Witklip from 94.3% to 93%, Primkop from 87.6% to 83.6%, Kwena from 93.4% to 91.7%, Inyaka from 81.4% to 81% and Ohrigstad from 37.1% to 34.9%.

In Gert Sibande District, Nooitgedacht dropped from 99.7% to 99.3%, Jericho from 92.9% to 92.3%, Westoe from 75.6% to 74.6%, Morgenstond from 99.9% to 99.8% and Heyshope from 99.5% to 99.3%.

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Water levels dropped in all the listed dams in the Nkangala District. Witbank Dam dropped from 99.2% to 98.7%, Middelburg from 95.8% to 95.1%, Loskop from 99.7% to 98.9%, and Rhenosterkop / Mkhombo Dam dropped from 49.6% to 49.3%.

With the high temperatures contributing to increased evaporation in water resources, the DWS encouraged the public to be waterwise and use the available water sparingly as water levels continue to drop.