Vaal Dam water levels at a low but not critical
Last week dam levels stood at 36%.
The Vaal Dam water levels have been dwindling for months, the department has said it was not at a critical stage yet.
The Vaal Dam is one of Gauteng’s main water sources.
Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said, “There will be no water restriction imposed, despite the dam levels continuing to plummet”.
“The integrated Vaal Dam water system is not yet compromised and is in good standing at about 50 – 60%, as long as the system is not compromised then we do have to impose water restrictions.”
Last week dam levels stood at 36%.
Ratau said there were a lot of factors that led to this including low rainfall during the rainy season.
“Aside from the less rainfall, we also had high temperatures that contribute to high evaporation. As a developing country, we have also seen a lot of urbanisation which has seen the demand for water increase. This also attributed to a lot of infrastructure development projects,” Ratau said.
Moving into summer, Ratau urged residents to use water sparingly.
“We need to use water for what we need and we encourage water users to look at their water consumption patterns. One of the things that will ensure water security would be reduced water demand.”
Ratau said one problem the department was facing was water pollution which came at a high cost in the treatment of water.
“Municipalities need to ensure their infrastructure is performing optimally and regularly maintained.”
Ratau added the department was looking into finding new sources to ensure water security.
“The department is looking at the water infrastructure projects including the Highlands infrastructure project over the years to ensure we are able to meet the demand for water supply.
“Secondly, we are ensuring that our bulk water infrastructure is working optimally. We are also looking into working with municipalities to see how we can use wastewater.”
On the matter of pollution at the dam, he added that the department was looking into finding a solution.
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