Sluice gates at the Vaal Dam. Photo: Supplied
South Africa is slowly recovering from its water woes, with the Vaal Dam reaching the 50% full capacity mark.
The Vaal Dam is rising owing to the heavy rainfall experienced this week, rising by 4.35 percentage points in just a few days to reach 50.5% capacity on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning the dam stood at 52.4%.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said it is closely monitoring the Vaal Dam which has drastically improved this week, making a giant leap from last week’s 24.3%.
The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, said that the Vaal Dam had been on a downward spiral for the past few months.
Mavasa mentioned that the department was planning to release water from the Sterkfontein Dam into the Vaal Dam to augment its levels when it reached 18% of its volume.
“However, this will no longer be necessary as the Vaal Dam is rapidly rising due to the heavy rainfall experienced this week in Gauteng, and other provinces of North West, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.”
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Mavasa said they are now free of the risk of the Vaal Dam dropping below its minimum operating level of 18%.
“The dam had experienced continuous decline over the past few months due to elevated temperatures which have led to increased evaporation losses, and the low inflows into the dam due to lack of rainfall in the Vaal catchment.
“The current dam level is now plotting above 50% and there is a good inflow because of recent rainfall in the catchment. There is therefore no more a need for water release from Sterkfontein Dam to support Vaal Dam,” said Mavasa.
Mavasa said the rising dam levels have also boosted the Integrated Vaal River System, which provides water to Gauteng province and key industries within the province, shooting up from 71.4% to 79.4% this week.
She said overall, the country’s dam storage levels have risen from 74.5% to 79.8% this week.
“Although the heavy and disruptive rainfall has resulted in localised flooding in those provinces, it has also boosted their Water Supply Systems significantly.”
Provinces with the most significant increases include Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, with 93.1% and 91.2%, respectively.
Limpopo saw a 9.4% increase, while North West and Free State also recorded substantial gains.
Mavasa said more rainfall is expected in central and eastern areas, which could further improve water storage levels next week.
However, despite the improvements, Mavasa urged residents to continue conserving water and to avoid flooded areas for safety.
“We appeal to members of the public to stay away from the rivers, lakes and dams, especially in the low-lying areas. Pedestrians should avoid crossing bridges and motorists should also refrain from driving through flooded areas, even though the water seems to be shallow.
“Water can be deadly during the floods and should not at all be underestimated. Let us all keep safe and stay indoors if possible,” she said.
Some regions, like the Northern Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape, saw slight decreases but remained stable.
“The water levels in the Eastern Cape are stable, slightly dropping from 81.7% to 81.4%. Algoa WSS, which supplies Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Sarah Baartman District, Kouga Local Municipality and Gamtroos Irrigation, has also slightly dropped from 81.2% to 80.2% this week,” said Mavasa.
“Butterworth Water Supply System has remained unchanged this week with 97.8%, and Amathole WSS is stable at 98.5% this week.
“The system has a total of six dams that serve Bhisho, Buffalo City, and East London. Klipplaat WSS, which serves Chris Hani District Municipality, has also dropped from 90.4% to 89.1%,” Mavasa said.
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Water expert Carin Bosman told The Citizen that while the increase in the dam’s levels is an improvement, the recent rainfall might not be sufficient for long-term water security.
“We are not out of the woods yet, and should continue to use water sparingly and implement water conservation and water saving practices.”
Additional reporting by Enkosi Selane
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