Dam levels in most parts of the country have shown a considerable increase, with the exception of Eastern Cape.
According to the water levels report published by the Department of Water and Sanitation this week, the Eastern Cape recorded a meager 0.1% increase, moving from 66.6% last week to 66.7% this week.
This was a clear sign that the province was facing a serious drought and that dam levels could even drop more drastically due to the changing of seasons, the department indicated in a statement.
“The Algoa Water System which is serving the major dams in the Nelson Mandela Metro is dropping week on week. This week the system decreased from 25.1% last week to 24.7% this week. Major Dams in this system are struggling to gain more water. Dam such as Impofu Dam is sitting at 38.5%, Kouga Dam is battling a lot and is sitting at 10.9%, Swartkops Dam at 50.7% and Loerie is the only dam sitting at 100.3% this week. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is appealing to the communities of Nelson Mandela Bay and Sarah Baartman to continue saving water during this period of drought.
“Meanwhile, the Amathole Water Supply System, serving dams in Buffalo City Municipality has shown some signs of recovery in recent weeks, improving from 88.9% last week to 90.4% this week. Klipplaat is standing at 70.3% a huge improvement compared to the previous year at this time, it was 58.1%. Gubu dam is sitting at 100.8% this week, Laing dam is standing at 100.4% this week, and Rooikrantz dam remain at 100.8%.”
Another major concern was the Xilinxa Dam in Butterworth which was still as low as 25.5% and residents of this area were being urged to head the calls of water conservation and take them seriously. Water users have been reminded that the Eastern Cape had been declared a national disaster area due to acute water challenges and reduction in water usage
