Water and Sanitation on level of Integrated Vaal River System

IVRS takes a knock as rainfall remain abnormally low

The level of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) has this week decrease well below the comparative week last year, with most of its dams remaining unchanged while  others continue to dip to lower levels week on week.

As a result of this situation, the Department of Water and Sanitation has over the weeks repeatedly asked water consumers in Gauteng to cut back on their water use. The decrease in the levels of the dams has been attributed to rising temperatures and excessive water use.

Most parts of the country have been hit hard, resulting in municipalities having to apply stringent measures to curtail water use and in some instances imposing restrictions.

The affected IVRS consists of 14 dams that supply water to both industries and households in Gauteng. Eskom and Sasol are some of the major industries in Gauteng that are dependent on the IVRS for their operational activities.

The IVRS went down from 69.2% last week to 68.8%  this week. This makes  it lower compared to what it was last year at the same period when it was at 72.3%.

One of the important dams in the IVRS, the Vaal Dam is falling weekly, taking a knock from 74.1% last week to stand at 73.1% this week. During the same period last year, the dam was at 80.4%.

The Grootdraai Dam has seen an increase this week, slightly surging up to 75.6% after having been at 75.4% last week. However, this week’s level is far lower compared with 100.2% in the comparative period last year.

The Sterkfontein, Bloemhof and Mohale dams remained unchanged from the levels they recorded last week. They are hovering at 94.0%, 61.8% and 18.1% respectively. Out the three, the Mohale dam is at a critical state as it continues to worsen week on week.

In a similarly concerning state, the Katse Dam fell again this week, down from 39.8% last week to 38.8% this week. Last year at the corresponding period the dam was well below the 50% mark at 39.5%

In the light of the fact that the country is experiencing unusually less rainfalls for this time of the year, the department is appealing to both industries and households to keep their water consumption to a bare minimum. This call is even more important given the fact that rising temperatures are expected to continue well into late summer and autumn.