Dam level report: Gauteng water department calls for conservation – here’s why

The Gauteng Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) emphasised the importance of water preservation despite the Integrated Vaal River System’s (IVRS) good standing.

The provincial system compromising of 14 dams suffered a slight decrease in dam levels, descending to 95.6% from last week’s 95.8%.

Conserving water

The decline is not alarming, and while the IVRS’s current condition is satisfactory, the department said the minor fluctuations are a reminder of the need to manage water resources efficiently.

A positive dam level report doesn’t make a difference when it comes to addressing water challenges in the province.

Back in March, water expert Professor Anthony Turton told The Citizen that rainfall, for example, “does not have anything to with water security in cities”.

This is because water security “is dependent not only water in dams, but the capacity to get water out of the dams and into water treatment plants”.

“If the Vaal Dam is full, you are still going to get significant water shortages,” he said.

How to conserve water

And since South Africa is ranked as one of the top 30 driest countries in the world, every drop counts.

Guidelines on saving water include reducing shower times, minimising how often you wash your car, by fixing leaking pipes and taps, and only washing full loads of dishes or laundry.

Other measure include:

• Flush the toilet only when necessary
• Cover swimming pools to reduce water evaporation
• Avoid always using the hosepipe to clean patios or driveways
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth
• Use recycled water when watering your plants

Gauteng dam level report

Here’s a closer look at the most notable changes of the weekly water level report:

Vaal Dam:

The Vaal Dam’s water dropped by 0.7%, from 89.5% last week to 88.8%.

Although the dam was at a higher 99.7% during this period last year, the depart of water and sanitation said the current levels remain healthy.

Grootdraai Dam:

A minor decline of 0.4% was recorded at Grootdraai Dam, from 92.8% last week to 92.4% this week.

Even though this is down from the 97.7% recorded last year, the department said the most recent level “is considered relatively high”.

Sterkfontein Dam:

This week, the water level at Sterkfontein Dam in the Free State remained stable at 100.9%, consistent with the previous week’s measurement.

This contrasts with the slightly lower 100.0% at the same time last year. Overall, a positive outcome.

Bloemhof Dam:

An increase of 0.2% was noticed in Bloemhof Dam, with levels rising from 102.7% to 102.9%.

This marks an improvement from the previous year when it was at 100.0%.

Mohale and Katse Dams:

The water levels in the Mohale and Katse dams in Lesotho remained consistent this week.

Katse Dam’s water level rose by 0.3% to 92.5%, while Mohale Dam saw a decrease of 0.4% to 96.7%.