Dropping dam levels paint bleak picture
Stricter conditions for agriculture as rain stays away.
AS drought conditions continue with little indication of good rains on the way, Zululand dam levels continue to drop.
The Goedertrouw Dam now stands at 46.2% compared to 87.4% this time last year.
Farmers have been told that when the level reaches 30% all irrigation will be prohibited until the dam level recovers to above 50%.
At the rate the water is being used at present, and with no rain, this could be reached by the end of May.
The dry land sugar crop is below 50% and the Darnall Sugar Mill will not be opening this year.
The Amatikulu Mill is only expected to open later this month.
A number of farmers have sent their labour home as they do not have crops.
In the Somopho and Ntambanana areas, the local people who rely mostly on some form of subsistence farming for food have not planted anything this summer and are battling.
The drought is having a huge negative financial impact not only on people, but also on businesses.
The Hluhluwe Dam is at 12.56% compared to 48.42% last year.
The situation is better at Pongolapoort Dam (60.49%) and Klipfontein Dam (62.79%), while the Ulundi weir is overflowing at 104.76%.
