The recent rain has slightly increased South Africa’s dam levels

The DWS report this week reflects an average national level of 61.2%, a slight improvement from last week’s 60.2%. Despite this improvement, the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, has appealed to all South Africans to continue saving water as the country is not out of the woods yet.

Some provinces are still trapped in the grip of severe drought that has left communities with not a drop of water to drink. Eastern Cape and parts of the Northern Cape are among the worst-hit provinces that are reeling from the effects of the extremely dry conditions.

Minister Sisulu recently announced government funding of R300 million to mitigate the effects of the drought in the Northern Cape. In addition, the Provincial Government has declared a provincial disaster.

However, recently, provinces such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal have received consistent rainfall that has slightly improved their water situation. As a result, Gauteng dam levels have increased to a whopping 101%, followed by Northern Cape (72.7%) and Mpumalanga (73.3%). Hydrologically, Gauteng and Northern Cape have fewer and smaller dams that fill up quickly from the slightest rain.

Free State has also received a lot of rain recently. This has improved its dam levels from 67.2% last week to 68.6% this week. The province boasts some of the biggest dams in the country, including Gariep and Vanderkloof dams.

Limpopo has improved its water situation with dam levels rising from just below 50% two months ago, to 59.6% this week. According to the report, three of the province’s dams, Magoebaskloof, Flag Boshielo and Tonteldoos, are bursting at the seams following relentless rains last week.

KwaZulu-Natal is also experiencing a steady rise in its dam levels. The province’s dam rose from 54.9% last week to 56.5% this week. Towns along the coastal belt of the Dolphin Coast, North and South Coast have benefitted immensely from last week’s rainfall.

Here is your weekly dam update:

• The Vaal River System consisting of 14 dams serving mainly Gauteng, Sasol and Eskom is at a total of 101%.
• The Cape Town Dam System, consisting of six dams serving mainly the City of Cape Town, is at 53.8% this week.
• The Eastern Cape Dam System is at 47.3% while KwaZulu-Natal sits at 56.5%.

Here are the latest dam percentages throughout the country:

Please note that the abovementioned summaries are not representative of all dams within any of the Provinces or Water Management Areas. The summaries only reflect the storages for those dams listed in the Weekly State of Reservoirs Report.

For a more in-depth rainfall update, visit WeatherSA. For more information on the water storage levels across the country, visit the DWS site.