The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on South Africans to use water sparingly and comply with water restrictions imposed in some municipalities.
The water capacity in reservoirs nationwide showed a slight decrease this week.
“A weekly report on the state of reservoirs issued…earlier this week shows that the volume of water stored in the country’s reservoirs has marginally decreased by 0.2%, from 94.4% last week to 94. .2% this week. During the corresponding period last year, national water storage was recorded at 94.1%.
“Despite the stable outlook for national water storage, the Department of Water and Sanitation still calls on all water users to be prudent in the way they consume water. All water users are urged to use water sparingly and comply with any water restrictions imposed by their respective municipalities in an effort to ensure water security in the country,” the department said.
The department said the Eastern Cape, which is facing drought in some areas, saw a slight increase in water storage from 76.9% last week to 77.3% this week.
However, the DWS warned that the water supply in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality remains under great pressure.
“The Algoa Water Supply System, with five dams in the drought-affected Nelson Mandela Bay area, has recorded a 0.4% decline, down to 15.1% this week from 15, 5% from last week. The system is 3.6% lower compared to the same period last year when it was at 18.7%. The Department, in collaboration with Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, is implementing several intervention projects in the area to ensure that the system does not fail.
“Other water supply systems in the Eastern Cape, such as Amathole, Butterworth and Klipplaat, are in a healthy state at 101.7%, 100.1% and 100.2%, respectively,” the department said.
Other provinces registered the following reservoir levels:
- Gauteng dams increased from 101.2% last week to 101.8% this week
- In the Free State, dam levels slightly decreased to 101.5% from 102.5%
- KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Water Storage is at 87.6% this week from 87.1%
- Mpumalanga dam levels unchanged at 97%
- Northern Cape dam levels dropped further over the past week, falling from 109.3% to around 98.6% this week.
- In Limpopo, the Polokwane water supply system saw an increase from 104% to 106.6%, while the Luvuvhu system slightly decreased to 100.6% this week from 100.7% last week.
- The North West province has seen a slight rebound from 83.5% last week to 84.8% this week.
- The Western Cape province recorded a decline to 60.9% this week from 62.3% last week. The Cape Town Water Supply System with dams supplying water to Cape Town also decreased from 70.1% to 68.9% this week.
Department spokesman Wisane Mavasa said the department is working with provinces to implement interventions to secure water supplies.
“We are working closely with water utility authorities to help them where they have capacity issues, particularly with operations and maintenance of water infrastructure.
“The Department is also monitoring the use of the grants it has set aside to help municipalities with water projects, to ensure it is used for its intended purpose,” Mavasa said. – SAnews.gov.za
