The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) called on the public yet again to use water sparingly as dam levels in the Mpumalanga keep dropping.
The latest DWS weekly state of reservoirs report of September 19 shows the average dam levels in the province dropped from 92.6% to 91.8%, which is about 13.6% higher than the 78.2% recorded during the same period last year.
In terms of water management areas (WMAs), the Olifants WMA dropped from 82.1% to 81.6% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA dropped from 96.4% to 95.5%.
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The Longmere Dam in the Ehlanzeni District is the only listed dam that recorded an improvement in water levels, with an increase from 84.4% to 90.1%. Morgenstond Dam in the Gert Sibande District remained unchanged at 99.5%.
In the Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld, Blyderivierspoort Dam dropped from 89.1% to 87.3%, Buffelskloof from 95.1% to 91.8%, Driekoppies from 99.3% to 97.3%, Klipkopjes from 99.6% to 94.7%, Witklip from 96.2% to 95.2%, Primkop from 89% to 87.6%, Kwena from 96% to 94.1%, Da Gama from 95.5% to 94.6%, Inyaka from 82% to 81.7% and Ohrigstad from 42.4% to 38.8%.
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In the Gert Sibande District, Grootdraai Dam dropped from 95.3% to 94.3%, Nooitgedacht from 99.5% to 99.1%, Vygeboom from 100.4% to 100%, Jericho from 94% to 92.9%, Westoe from 78.7% to 76.7%, Morgenstond from 99.5% to 99.3% and Heyshope from 99.7% to 99.4%.
All the listed dams in the Nkangala District recorded declines in water volumes. Witbank Dam dropped from 99% to 98.6%, Middelburg from 95.8% to 94.9%, Loskop from 99.5% to 99.1%, and Rhenosterkop/Mkhombo Dam dropped below the 50% mark from 50.1% to 49.9%.
