Mpumalanga water levels continue to drop but still higher than last year
Water levels in the Mpumalanga Province continue to drop, but the situation is much better than the same period last year. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation weekly state of reservoirs report, the majority of the listed dams in the province are around the 80 and 90 percent mark with the lowest level being 7.9%.
The DWS weekly report of 09 August 2021 shows that on average, the dam levels dropped from 82.6% to 82.3% which is more than 10% higher than last year when it stood at 70.5%. In terms of the catchment areas, the Olifants water management area dropped from 75.5% to 75.0% and the Inkomati-Usuthu water management area remained unchanged 89.3%.
The listed dam with the lower water volume in the Lowveld and Ehlanzeni District is the Ohrigstad Dam which is unchanged at 63.9%. Above the 80% mark, Longmire Dam dropped from 86.6% to 81.5% and Inyaka Dam recorded some improvement from 83.8% to 88.7%. Dams above the 90% mark include Blyderivierpoort dropping from 98.0% to 96.8%, Buffelskloof dropping from 95.0% to 93.2%, Driekoppies remaining unchanged at 99.6%, Klipkopjes dropping from 99.4% to 99.2%, Witklip dropping from 96.1% to 95.2%, Primkop dropping from 100.0% to 99.6%, Kwena dropping from 98.9% to 97.7% and Da Gama remaining unchanged at 96.5%.
In the Gert Sibande District, the dam with the lowest water levels is the Westoe Dam which dropped from 65.7% to 62.5% followed by Jericho Dam at 73.1% from last week’s 73.9%. Above 80% is the Grootdraai, Morgenstond and Heyshope dams which recorded declines from 82.6% to 81.6%, 84.4% to 84.1% and 84.9% to 84.8% respectively. In the 90 percent category, Nooitgedacht Dam slightly increased from 94.7% to 94.8% and Vygeboom Dam dropped from 96.7% to 95.8%.
The critically low Rhenosterkop Dam is the only listed dam in the Nkangala District further dropping from 8.0% to 7.9%. Middelburg Dam dropped from 85.8% to 85.0%. Above 90%, Witbank Dam slightly increased from 91.1% to 91.6% and Loskop Dam dropped from 94.4% to 93.7%.
DWS encourages water users to be more conservative in their water use and always keep it in mind that every drop counts in South Africa which is a water-scarce country. The Department also encourages the public to minimize water losses by fixing leaks in their households and report leaks to their municipalities to prevent water losses.
For more information, contact:
Sputnik Ratau, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation
082 874 2942 or
Themba Khoza
066 301 6962
