The Mpumalanga Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on the public to intensify water conservation efforts and use the available water sparingly as the listed dams in the Lowveld showed mixed results.

The latest DWS weekly state of reservoirs report, issued on February 3, indicated that while most of the listed dams in the Lowveld showed some increase in levels, others have experienced declines and only three remaining unchanged.

The dams that saw slight improvements in water levels include Buffelskloof Dam where the water rose from 100.8% to 101.2%, Klipkopjes Dam that saw an increase from 88.1% to 89.2%, and Witklip Dam with an increase from 85.8% to 86.8%.

The Inyaka Dam showed increase levels of 82.4% to 83.3%; the Ohrigstad Dam from 42.2% to 44.7%, the biggest increase; and the Vygeboom Dam from 100.3% to 100.5%.

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However, others such as the Blyderivierpoort, Longmere and Primkop dams recorded lower levels. Longmere Dam dropped the lowest from 93.7% to 87.6%. Meanwhile, Driekoppies, Da Gama and Nooitgedacht dams remained unchanged at 85.5%, 98.9% and 101.0%, respectively.

The overall water storage capacity in Mpumalanga remains steady at 94.9%. In terms of Water Management Areas (WMAs), the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA showed a slight improvement from 91.3% to 91.7%.

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Water levels across the three districts also showed mixed results. Ehlanzeni recorded a slight increase from 86.1% to 86.5%, Gert Sibande remained unchanged at 97.5% and Nkangala saw a minor decrease from 98.6% to 98.5%.

South Africa remains one of the world’s 30 driest countries, highlighting the critical need for responsible water usage. The department urges all citizens to prioritise water conservation to ensure long-term sustainability.