Warm weather in Limpopo leads to decreasing dam levels
A weekly report released by the Department of Water and Sanitation reveals that the province’s average dam levels have decreased from 67.8% last week to 66.9% this week.
POLOKWANE – Following hot temperatures experienced in the province over the past few weeks, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on all water users to continue using water sparingly and adhere to water restrictions imposed by their respective municipalities.
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“A weekly report released by the Department of Water and Sanitation reveals that the province’s average dam levels have decreased from 67.8% last week to 66.9% this week. The provincial average has dropped considerable when you compared to 70.5% during the same period last year,”said Malope Matlou, Principal Communication Officer at the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The latest summary of Limpopo’s Water Management Area (WMA) reflects a decline compared to last year this time when water levels were 78.8% compared to the current 68.3%. Olifants is at 65.0%, also showing a decline compared to last year’s 67.8 %, which Matlou says should alarm Limpopo residents to continue saving water.
“The Polokwane Water Supply Systems is at 83.9% showing a slight decline when compared to 85.3% last week, but a considerable increase from last year’s 56.7% during the same period. Ebenezer Dam, which supplies majority of the communities around Polokwane, including Mankweng Hospital and Polokwane Provincial Hospital is currently sitting at 77.62% this wee,” Matlou added.
Tzaneen Dam, supplying water to farmers in the Mopani District with irrigation, continues to decline due to the hot weather conditions in the area, with the dam this week sitting at 27.72% from last week’s 29.15%. The department has therefore urged farmers to continue saving water as the percentage in the dam is alarming, especially as cultivation season approaches.
“Although the provincial storage is at satisfactory percentage, the province still needs to continue to implement water restrictions so that reliable water provision is sustained until we are satisfied that we have enough water in the storage. Water is a scarce resource and catalytic towards economic development and it must therefore be conserved at all times,” Matlou concluded.
