Don’t waste water, Gauteng residents warned as Vaal Dam level drops

The department of water and sanitation has warned Gauteng residents to use water sparingly following a drop in the Vaal Dam water level.

The announcement was that the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) would stop pumping water for the next two months.

This system provides 27% of the water supply to the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), but despite this, government said, there was no cause for alarm so long as water use was reduced.

Level 1 water restrictions were in place and according to department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau, other catchment areas in Mpumalanga, Free State, Northern Cape and North West would continue feeding the system.

The Lesotho system was being closed due to maintenance and inspection of its tunnel systems, which would run until November 30.

Meanwhile, the latest data showed that the Vaal Dam levels were 54.7%, slightly down from a week ago at 55%. The entire Integrated Vaal River System was at 76.0%.

DA MP and shadow minister for water and sanitation, Leon Basson, said national government should have seen this problem coming.

“What is happening now is concerning because the Vaal Dam is below 55% and this time last year it was at 91.9%.

“We have been discussing and pleading with government to deal with the Lesotho Phase Two project, which would have been completed now but has been delayed by six years. It will only be complete in 2026.”

The problem is that the Katse Dam is at 16,9% and that it will probably have to cut off supply to Gauteng. Which is why it’s so important for the Phase Two project to be prioritised, he said.

Asked how long Gauteng could sustain itself with these levels, Ratau could not say, apart from that the department was ensuring the optimal performance of the system.

“The department does not operate on the basis of how long but rather on ensuring the optimal operation of a system,” he said.

“In preparing for the shutdown, sufficient water was moved into the system as would’ve come through in the related period,” he said.

Meanwhile, hardly any rain is expected for the next 14 days in Gauteng, according to weather and rain forecasts on MeteoVista.

– simnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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