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Heavy rains across the interior and northern regions of South Africa have brought relief for dams, but danger for communities.
Vaal Dam. Picture: Department of Water and Sanitation
The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) has been blessed with heavy rains this week.
Gauteng’s suburban streets were drenched, but rivers further south were swollen with rushing water.
As a result, Vaal Dam levels have reached a seasonal high, now exceeding double the levels recorded at the turn of the year.
Vaal Dam level
The South African Weather Service (Saws) reported that Centurion and Johannesburg had the highest single day rainfalls for the week in Gauteng, registering 60 and 41 millimetres (mm) respectively, on Tuesday, 18 February.
In the Free State, Witsieshoek registered 59mm of rain, while Koppies had a massive 109mm of rainfall on 18 February.
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As per Rand Water and Department of Water and Sanitation graphs, the Vaal Dam had reached 71.08% as of Thursday, 20 February, a substantial increase from 24% in early January.
“The Vaal Dam has experienced a remarkable rise in water levels, surpassing the 70% mark,” stated Midvaal ward 1 councillor Pieter Swart via social media on Thursday.
“The current surge, climbing well beyond the 62.87% recorded on February 18, is driven by sustained rainfall in the catchment area, bringing relief after months of water security concerns,” Swart explained.
Dangerous weather
Saws predicted on Thursday that rain will continue on Friday in the eastern Northern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
The rain has affected City Power’s ability to address electricity faults, while emergency services have been on high alert throughout Gauteng.
A tornado ripped through several suburbs on Tuesday when it swept through Montana north in Pretoria.
Emergency response teams reported that several buildings, vehicles and other properties were damaged by the tornado.
Heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal have led to flooding in Port Edward and surrounding areas, as well as a mudslide near KwaMakhutha outside Durban.
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