The weekly status of reservoirs issued this week by the Department of Water and Sanitation show a little improvement in water levels compared to the same period last week and last year. The latest surge is attributable to the country’s ongoing rainfall in some areas.
This week, the overall storage capacity of the country’s water level is 94.3%, a modest increase from the previous week’s 94.2% and a significant increase over last year’s 85.5%.
Water levels have reduced in four of nine provinces, with Free State dropping from 105.1% to 105.0%, the Eastern Cape dropping from 105.8% to 105.5%, the Northern Cape dropping from 112.4% to 110.5%, and the Western Cape dropping from 62.7% to 61.3%.
Mpumalanga has a rate of 93.3%, Limpopo has a rate of 87.7%, and North West has a rate of 73.8%. Gauteng’s water level increased from 100.3% to 100.9%, and KwaZulu Natal’s water level increased from 87.7% to 88.9%.
The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), one of the primary water supply networks that encompasses multiple provinces, has moderately decreased from 100.8% last week to 100.6% this week. The water supply systems in Algoa, Bloemfontein, Butterworth, Luvuvhu, and Orange River have all deteriorated week on week.
Water levels have improved in the following water supply systems: Amathole, Crocodile East, Klipplaat, Umhlathuze, Polokwane, and Umgeni.
The IVRS dams of the Vaal and Grootdraai have marginally decreased from 106.2% to 106.0% and 102.3% to 101.8%. Both the Gariep and Vanderkloof Dams, which are part of the Orange River Water Supply System, have seen increases of 105.9% and 105.4%, respectively, to 106.2% and 106.3%.
Albert Falls Dam in KwaZulu Natal, which is part of the Umgeni Water Supply System that feeds water to eThekwini Metro and nearby areas, increased from 102.4% to 103.1%. Inanda, which is also part of Umgeni, increased from 102.8% to 103.7% this week.
The drought-stricken Eastern Cape province has dropped, climbing from 63.6% to 65.8%. Waterdown Dam, which is part of the Klipplaat Water Supply System, fell from 100.5% to 100.2% this week, while Gubu Dam, which is part of the Amathole Water Supply System, fell from 101.1% to 100.8%.
Roodeplat Dam, a component of Crocodile West fed by the Pienaars River, is fixed and unmoving at 100.6%.
The Western Cape, which includes areas that receive rainfall during the winter and those that receive rainfall during other seasons, has seen a minor decrease from 62.7% to 61.3%.
Major dams in Limpopo province, such as Flag Boshielo, which is part of the Polokwane Water Supply System, have remained stable at 100.9% week on week, while De Hoop has improved marginally from 100.2 to 100.3% and Nandoni has decreased from 101.2% to 100.0%.
In Mpumalanga, Nooitgedacht Dam, part of the IVRS supplied by the Komati River, climbed from 92.9% to 94.3%, while Kwena Dam, part of the Crocodile East Water Supply System, grew from 100.2% last week to 100.5% this week.
Yesterday, on World Water Day, March 22, 2022, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu, declared that groundwater plays a vital part in ensuring water security in South Africa, and that if managed and used appropriately, it might be a suitable substitute for surface water. This might significantly reduce the strain on our dams.
How full are the dams in the Cape?
“Our dams are currently at 81.5% full, compared to 98.9% the previous year at the same time.”
Which dam in South Africa is the largest?
The dam at Gariep
The Gariep Dam in the Free State has the biggest storage capacity of any dam ever built in South Africa. It was built in 1972 and stores water from the Orange River in a 100-kilometer-long dam with a 374-square-kilometer surface area. The dam can hold around 5 500 million cubic meters (m3) of water.
