Water levels at Grootdraai Dam in Standerton at 80.8%
The report also showed the average levels in the listed dams in the province dropped from 91.9% to 91.3%, which is better than the 88.6% recorded at the same time last year.
Most of the Mpumalanga Highveld listed dams recorded declines in water levels.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) state of reservoirs report, dated October 23, only two dams in the Nkangala District and one in the Gert Sibande District recorded some level improvements, and only one dam remained unchanged.
Most of the listed dams in the Gert Sibande District recorded declines in water levels, with only Vygeboom increasing from 100.4% to 100.7% and Morgenstond remaining unchanged at 97.7%.
The listed dams that dropped in water levels in the district include Grootdraai dropping from 81.7% to 80.8%, Nooitgedacht from 81.9% to 80.8%, Jericho from 76.0% to 75.6%, Westoe from 47.1% to 45.5%, and Heyshope from 97.5% to 97.4%.
The report also showed that the average levels in the listed dams in the province dropped from 91.9% to 91.3%, which is better than the 88.6% recorded at the same time last year.
In the Water Management Areas (WMAs), the Olifants dropped from 85.2% to 84.8%, which is better than the 78.5% recorded last year, and the Inkomati-Usuthu also dropped from 92.8% to 92.1%, which is less than the 93.2% recorded last year.
In terms of the districts, all of them in Mpumalanga recorded declines in water volumes, with Ehlanzeni dropping from 94.1% to 92.8%, Gert Sibande from 88.3% to 87.8% and Nkangala from 95.7% to 95.6%.
The department encouraged the public to be more conservative with its water use and continue using the available water wisely and sparingly. They reminded the public that water conservation is key to water security because water has no substitute in a water-scarce country.
