South Africans urged to use water sparingly as winter approaches

Summer rains have come and gone in parts of South Africa, which means most dams will see a decline in the upcoming months of autumn and winter, reports Caxton Central.

The department of water and sanitation (DWS) said in a statement: “The reality for all of the water consumers is that winter is knocking on our front doors and as envisaged, the call to all people from DWS is to use this life-giving resource sparingly.

“As a society, we have become more and more environmentally conscious and better informed about the effect our lifestyles can have on the world around us. At the same time, the demand for our most valuable natural resource — drinking water — continues to grow while supplies can be threatened by different inputs including drought conditions.”

ALSO READ: Farmers left high and dry by drought – survey

During Water Month, issues surrounding the water supply and demand have been highlighted. Combating water pollution and behavioural changes in communities around water remain one of the primary goals of the DWS.

Even though water covers so much of the earth’s surface, less than 1% is available for human consumption.

“We share in the benefits of some of the safest drinking water in the world, and it is incumbent on us all to protect this valuable natural resource for future generations. By making simple but thoughtful changes in our daily routines, we can feel confident that we are doing our part,” said the DWS.

According to the weekly national status of dams report issued by the DWS, the average dam levels stood at 66.2%. This is a slight improvement from last week’s average of 65.9%. The same time last year, the country’s average was 69.3%.

The Western Cape dam levels have declined to 38.7% of storage capacity. Cape Town specifically experienced a decline by 0.7% in the past week to 51.3% of storage capacity.

With the dam levels dropping slightly though, with some sporadic but inconsistent rainfall far in between, the DWS is calling on all South Africans to save water as much as they can to ensure that the country does not run out of water.

Here is a summary of the most current dam statistics: 

• The Vaal River System consisting of 14 dams serving mainly Gauteng, Sasol, and Eskom dropped to 96.6%.
• The Cape Town Dams System, consisting of six dams serving mainly city of Cape Town, are at 38.7% this week.
• The Eastern Cape Dam System is at 61.9% while KwaZulu-Natal sits at 62.4%.

For a more in-depth rainfall update, visit WeatherSA or click here. For more information on the water storage levels across the country, visit the DWS site. For a comprehensive drought status report from the DWS, click here.