Vaal Dam sees major spike in 24 hours: Here’s how much it has gone up in the last week

Excessive rainfall across the country has significantly replenished the Vaal’s dam level, which rose over three percentage points in 24 hours.

The Dam stood at 80.22% on Sunday and 83.45% on Monday.

On Tuesday it stood at 85.73%.

The dam stood at 63.34% last Tuesday, which means water levels have risen a massive 22.39 percentage points over the last week.

The persistent rainfall boosted the Vaal Dam’s capacity from around 24% early in the year

Midvaal councillor Pieter Swart praised the Dam’s recovery.

“As of 06:00 on February 24, 2025, the Vaal Dam’s water level has risen to 83.6%, up from 80.22% yesterday. This increase, driven by existing inflows and contributions from the Grootdraai Dam, supports optimism for stable water supplies.”

💦Vaaldam: 83.6%
Vaal Dam: 83.6%💦

**Volg hierdie blad vir gereelde opdaterings/Follow this page for regular updates Rdl/Cllr Pieter Swart **

Volgens die jongste meting om 06:00 op 24 Februarie 2025, het die Vaaldam se watervlak gestyg na 83.6%, van 80.22% gister. Hierdie… pic.twitter.com/bK76ND7C6B

— Rdl/Cllr Pieter Swart (@Rdl_Cllr_PSwart) February 24, 2025

Persistent rainfall

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) hydrology report on the status of water reservoirs this week showed the country’s dam levels have increased from 80.6% to 81.2%.

In a statement sent to The Citizen, the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the department was impressed with the elevated water levels in most parts of the country, including Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, the North West, and the Free State.

“The current rainfall experienced in the central and eastern parts of the country has improved surface water storage, and most of the province’s water supply systems exceeded 80% of full supply capacity. The rainfalls have boosted the Water Supply Systems in some provinces, whereas others have declined.

“While we are pleased with the amount of rainfall as it managed to replenish most of our water supply systems, we are cognisant of the disruption and damage the heavy rains have caused in some communities particularly those in low lying areas and flood-prone regions,” Mavasa said.

ALSO READ: Vaal Dams hit 50% capacity mark as heavy rainfall boosts SA’s dams

Dam levels

According to DWS, Mpumalanga and KZN have experienced the highest upsurge in their water levels, which now sits at more than 90%.

Mpumalanga rose from 95.2% to 95.7% this week, while KZN shot up from 88.9% to 90.4%. Limpopo province has shot up from 84.1% to 86.8% this week.

The Northern Cape has also seen a significant rise from last week’s 62.6%, and the province’s levels have reached 73.8% this week. North West province also rose from 71.1% to 72.4% this week.

Gauteng’s dam levels remained unchanged at 90.5%.

Western Cape

Meanwhile, the Western Cape water levels are declining, from 72.3% last week to 69.9% this week, owing to insufficient rains. This is normal in the region, as the rainfall season is only experienced in winter.

The IVRS, which is 14 dams combined and supplies Gauteng and parts of Mpumalanga, Free State and North West Provinces, continues to show stability with a slight increase from last week’s 83.6% to 84.6%

Save water

The DWS said the storage capacity in the country’s major Water Supply Systems (WSS) has also improved.

Mavasa said although the surface water storage capacity has improved in the majority of dams in most provinces which assures security of supply, “the DWS continues to remind citizens that climate change is upon us and as a semi-arid country, we need to conserve our available water resource and continue to use it sparingly”.

ALSO READ: Rand Water rubbishes claims of ‘poisoned’ Vaal Dam water