SA gets ‘bumper wet Christmas’ as dam levels rose by 2%

South Africans are poised for a “bumper wet” Christmas after the country’s dam levels rose by 2% following heavy rains over large parts of the country in the past month, the Department of Water and Sanitation said on Wednesday.

“The latest weekly report by the Department of Water and Sanitation on dam levels shows that the persistent downpours have improved the country’s water situation drastically,” it said.

The department added the drought-stricken Eastern Cape had stabilised its dams at 50.7% after dropping below half of that three months ago.

Consistent thundershowers have also improved Gauteng’s small dams from 96.15 to 97.4%, making the province the second-highest region with sufficient water in the country thus far.

The Free State leads the pack with 75.1%, a figure that reflects an improvement of 3% after last week’s 72.4%, while the Northern Cape remains third on the table at 89.8%.

Mpumalanga improved its dam levels from 64.4 to 66.7%, following consistent rainfall on the Highveld and Lowveld in the past two weeks.

“Witbank and Loskop dams on the Highveld recorded 91.8% and 91.5% apiece, while Blyderivierpoort Dam on the Lowveld recorded 89.5%,” the department said.

Limpopo dams went up by 1% from 55.8 to 56.9%, while the North West remained stable at 64.2% and the Western Cape continued on its downward slide as its dams dropped from 76 to 74.5%.

KwaZulu-Natal, the province which has experience consistent showers, saw an increase in its dams to 55.8% this week.

“The coastal belt – the Natal-Midlands, uMkhanyakude and Zululand regions – has been saturated with soft rains that raised dam levels considerably,” the department said.

It warned bathers not to flock to dams and rivers as an alternative to beaches.

This follows the closure of some beaches over the festive season by the national government to combat the spread of Covid-19.

The department said the South African Weather Services had predicted a severe thunderstorm in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Consequently, locals have been warned to prepare for flash floods in certain areas,” it added.

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