Slight increase in water levels of Mpumalanga’s dams
According to the recent weekly Department of Water and Sanitation report, distributed on November 15, the average dam levels in the province slightly improved from 90.6% to 90.7%.
The weekly state of reservoirs report dated November 13 from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) shows that Mpumalanga recorded a slight improvement in water levels over the week.
This can be attributed to all listed dams in the Nkangala District, almost half in Ehlanzeni and two in Gert Sibande recording improvements in water levels.
According to the report, the average dam levels in the province slightly improved from 90.6% to 90.7%.
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The levels in the Olifants Water Management Area (WMA), which covers the Nkangala District, increased from 84.1% to 84.4%, while the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA, which covers the Ehlanzeni and Gert Sibande districts, dropped from 91.6% to 91.5%.
In terms of the districts, Ehlanzeni dropped from 91.8% to 91.6%, Gert Sibande dropped from 86.9% to 86.7% and Nkangala increased from 95.4% to 96.3%.
Most of the listed dams in the Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld recorded declines in water levels, with the Blyderivierpoort dropping from 88.3% to 87.5%, Klipkopjes from 99.4% to 97.1%, Kwena from 84.2% to 83.4%, Da Gama from 94.6% to 94.1%, Inyaka from 96.2% to 95.9% and Ohrigstad from 58% to 56%.
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The remaining listed dams in the Lowveld recorded improvements in water levels. Buffelskloof increased from 80% to 80.2%, Driekoppies from 96.7% to 96.9%, Longmere from 77% to 97.1%, Witklip from 98.2% to 98.5%, and Primkop from 100.4% to 100.9%.
In the Gert Sibande District, the majority of the listed dams recorded declines in water levels. Jericho and Heyshope dams recorded some improvements, increasing from 75.7% to 76.2% and 97.4% to 97.5% respectively. Vygeboom Dam remained unchanged at 100.9%.
The listed dams that recorded declines in water levels in the district include Grootdraai dropping from 78.8% to 77.9%, Nooitgedacht from 79% to 78.5%, Westoe from 43.1% to 42.5% and Morgenstond from 97.9% to 97.7%.
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All the listed dams in the Nkangala District recorded improvements in water levels. Witbank Dam increased from 93.3% to 94.2%, Middelburg Dam from 91% to 91.3%, Loskop Dam from 95.7% to 96.9% and Rhenosterkop/Mkhombo from 96.8% to 97.4%.
The DWS encourages South Africans to be responsible and conservative water users despite the slight improvement in the average dam levels. The department also reminds the public that South Africa is a water-scarce country that requires everyone to play a role in water security by using it wisely and sparingly.
