Concerns rise as Kwena Dam continues to drop
As the situation deteriorates, the Department of Water and Sanitation requests water users and communities to be more water-wise.
Kwena Dam which supplies water to users downstream, including the City of Mbombela, is a serious cause for concern as it continues to drop below the 30 per cent mark.
It now stands at 28 per cent as of January 18.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) weekly state of reservoirs report, Kwena Dam dropped from last week’s 29,4 per cent to 28 per cent. “This is worrying as water levels continue to drop amid the hot temperatures,” the department said in a recent statement.
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The average water levels in the listed dams in Mpumalanga, however, improved from last week’s 67 per cent to
this week’s 67,7 per cent and in the water management areas (WMA). The Olifants WMA improved from 61,5 per cent to 61,8 per cent and the Inkomati-Usuthu increased from 59 per cent to 60,1 per cent.
As the situation deteriorates, the DWS requests water users and communities to be more water-wise and use the available water in the most conservative of ways to ensure the security of supply for all.
Other dams that recorded declines in water volumes in the Ehlanzeni District include Driekoppies (from 67,5 per cent to 67,2 per cent), Klipkoppie (from 21 per cent to 19,8 per cent) and Primkop (from 78,1 per cent to 77,4 per cent). Blyderivierpoort Dam increased from 100,7 per cent to 101 per cent, Buffelskloof went up from 63,5 per cent to 77,1 per cent, Longmere increased from 46,9 per cent to 52,8 per cent, Witklip from 68,7 per cent to 71,4 per cent, Da Gama from 55,4 per cent to 56,5 per cent, Inyaka from 53,2 per cent to 54 per cent and Ohrigstad from 8,3 per cent to 10,2 per cent.
