Kwena Dam dips to around 45%
The Kwena Dam which is crucial for water supply to amongst others, the capital city of the Mpumalanga Province, the City of Mbombela continues to record declines in water volumes and currently stands just above 45%.
According to the latest DWS weekly state of reservoirs report of 28 September 2020, the water levels in the Kwena Dam dropped from last week’s 47.1% to 45.1% as recorded this week. Joining the below 50% group in the Ehlanzeni District, is the Inyaka Dam which recorded a drop from 50.4% to 49.2%, Longmere Dam dropped from 51.3% to 48.5%. Other listed dams below 50% include Da Gama Dam which remains unchanged at 49.8%, Klipkopjes Dam remaining unchanged at 9.8% and Ohrigstad Dam which dropped from 9.7% to 9.4%.
Dams still above 50% in the Ehlanzeni District include Blyderivierpoort Dam which dropped from 77.5% to 75.8%, Buffelskloof Dam which dropped from 67.8% to 54.3%, Driekoppies Dam which dropped from 71.1% to 70.8%, Witklip Dam which dropped from 64.6% to 62.9% and Primkop Dam which dropped from 76.7% to 76.3%.
The DWS report also shows that average water levels in the listed dams in the Mpumalanga Province continue to drop as the water volumes dropped from last week’s 66.6% to 65.8% meaning there is currently 1669.5 cubic meters of water in storage out of the required full capacity of 2538.6 cubic metres.
Water levels in the catchment areas also continue to drop, with the Olifants water management area (WMA) dropping from last week’s 62.0% to 61.2% and the Inkomati- Usuthu water management area dropping from 63.6% to 62.7%.
In as much as the water levels are still better than the same period last year when they stood at 62.2%, the Department of Water and Sanitation encourages the public to continue using the available water in a more wise, sparing and conservative manner taking into account that South Africa is a water scarce country which receives about half the world average rainfall.
For more information, contact:
Sputnik Ratau, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation
082 874 2942 or
Themba Khoza
066 301 6962
