The department said that after weeks of water levels declining drastically, the dam reached a positive 48.4%, showing signs of improvement in its catchment areas.

DWS spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the improvement had an overall impact on Gauteng’s water levels, which currently averaged 66%.

“It is an indication of the health of the Integrated Vaal River System, but we mustn’t forget that these rains are coming very late. By this time of year, ideally, we should be over the 70% mark and we should be conscious of how we use this scarce resource,” he said.