The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calls on water users in the province to continue using water sparingly as the dam levels are slowly recovering due to some rain that has fallen in most parts of Limpopo recently.
The province’s average dam levels have risen to a staggering 65.7% this week, an increase of 2.82% compared to last week. However, the current levels are still below last year’s figure which stood at 64.02%.
A weekly summary of Water Management Area (WMA) for Limpopo reflects an increase in dam levels compared to last week when water levels were at 64.9%. Currently, the levels are sitting at 70.4%, and in the Olifants, it is now at 63.5%, an increase of 3.1% compared to last week’s 60.4%.
The Polokwane Water Supply Systems is at 75.1%, showing a major improvement when compared to last year’s 52.1%. The Luvuvhu Water Supply Systems is at 99.1%, a huge improvement from 90.4% last week.
In the Vhembe District, both Nandoni and Vondo Dams have surpassed the 100 mark percentage, with Nandoni currently recording 102.34%, an increase from 93.71% last week. This is a relief for communities who live in and around Thohoyandou. Vondo Dam is currently sitting at 101.44%, a huge improvement from 86.30% last week.
In Mopani District , Ebenezer Dam which supplies residents in the Polokwane Local Municipality, is currently at 64.41% this week, while farmers in and around Tzaneen Dam are encouraged to continue reducing their irrigation as the dam has slightly improved from 12.42% last week to 16.37% this week, which is still a major concern despite the slight improvement. Nsami dam in the Giyani area is currently sitting at 59.18%, a slight improvement from 51.40% last week.
The Glen Alpine Dam in Waterberg District is sitting at 18.72% this week, which is major concern, whereas Mokolo dam is comfortably sitting at 77.70%. In the Sekhukhune District, De Hoop Dam slightly went up from 85.21% last week to 87.86% this week, an increase of 2.65%, whereas Flag Boshielo is currently sitting at 79.03%.
In relation to the provincial storage, even though some water levels are still in respectable percentage, the province still needs to continue to implement water restrictions so that reliable water provision is sustained until more rain comes down. Water is a scarce resource and catalytic towards economic development and it must therefore be conserved at all times.
