Vaal Dam levels continue upward trend
Although levels continue to rise, the drought is not over yet
The majority of South Africa has been on the receiving end of welcome rainfall which has resulted in an increase in most dam levels, but the drought is far from over.
It was recently announced that the City of Cape Town only has about 135 days of usable water left, and if the efforts to use water sparingly are not increased, the city will be facing a full blown crisis.
This led to the question, “What is the state of the City of Johannesburg’s water supply?”
The good news is, the Vaal Dam’s level has been rising steadily since December last year, and on 15 February it was at 64,5 per cent. That is an increase of about 24 per cent. The Sterkfontein Dam is currently at 87,9Â per cent full, Grootdraai Dam is at 100,4Â per cent and Bloemhof Dam is at 45,1Â per cent.
According to Sputnik Ratau, spokesperson for Rand Water, although the rainfall we have received should be appreciated, residents should not think the drought is over. “The increases in the levels are still minimal and we must not be lulled into a false sense of security. We should all keep on doing everything in our power to save water and use it sparingly,” he said.
Marketing and Communications Manager at Johannesburg Water, Tidimalo Chuene echoed Sputnik’s sentiments and added that residents must keep in mind that the water restrictions are still in place and must be adhered to. “We urge consumers to remain active partners in reducing the amount of water used in the City of
Johannesburg, and to report any form of vandalism and theft of water infrastructure to 0800 00 25 87,” she said.
Tidimalo concluded by saying, “The drought conditions are still persisting and we will only be able to asses the status after the reservoirs and water courses have recharged successfully.”
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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