Significant rains over the past few months have brought relief to some of the province’s rivers and dams, however the drought in KwaZulu-Natal is not over.
That’s the word from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The recent rains have resulted in runoff and relief to the smaller water supply systems and dams, but there has been insufficient runoff to impact significantly on the large supply systems, which are expected to take longer to recover.
The standard precipitation index, which is a measure of the rainfall received over different time frames, still shows that over a 24-month period almost all of KZN is still classified as being in a state of drought.
Large parts north of the province are still experiencing severe to extreme drought.
“On average the department’s dams are 16% lower than they were at the same time last year,” said departmental spokesman, Sputnik Ratau.
“Some of the smaller dams such as the EJ Smith and Umzinto dams, which supply the Upper South Coast, and the Hazelmere Dam have recovered to the extent that we have relaxed restrictions in these supply areas.”
Dams in the Mgeni supply system which provide water for eThekwini, parts of Umgungundlovu, Ilembe and Ugu district metros are 20% lower, at 45% compared to 65% this time last year.
Water restrictions in this system are at 15% for domestic and commercial users and 50% for agricultural users.
“Consumers are urged to comply with the water restrictions for their areas and actively conserve water,” said Ratau.
