The Vaal Dam, which supplies water to economic hub Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria among other areas, in October, it decreased to 50% for the first time in nearly three years.

The department’s Sputnik Ratau said the decline was alarming: “We have to work together as South Africans to ensure that we reduce our consumption patterns, which are still way above world average per capita and until we do that, we’re at the risk of the country becoming negatively impacted.”

The department has said it would release a “master plan” which would look into water preservation across the country.