WATCH: Vaal Dam faces pollution problem

A dry winter has left the water level at the Vaal Dam hovering below the 40% mark and the department of water and sanitation has urged everyone to use water sparingly and wisely.

The Citizen saw the dwindling levels of the dam yesterday in a media tour which was held by the department. Water sector support director Simon Maphangula said the Vaal Dam was a key part of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS). One of the biggest challenges the dam faced was pollution.

“It will take 36 months to revamp the current sewer system and we will start work on this between November and December.

“Once we have completed the upstream of the project, which is the first phase, then only we can say we have stopped the raw spillage,” Maphangula said.

Maphanugula said the project would cost R140 million.

“Some of our biggest polluters are industries, followed by the agricultural sector and municipalities. “Domestic households contribute a minimum amount of waste,” he said.

Community member Darrel Robson said he feared for the impending rainy season because it would increase the flow of sewerage into the dam.

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