Gauteng urged to save water as dam levels drop

Home users and businesses in Gauteng are urged to practise water-wise measures, with the level of the integrated Vaal River system sitting at 46% this week.

These levels are lower compared with the 54% recorded during the same week last year, the water department said in a statement.

The level of the Vaal Dam, which is one the 14 dams in the integrated system, is at 51% — compared with the 72.7% the dam recorded at the same time last year.

Both the Katse and the Mohale dams continue to float below the 50% mark. The Katse Dam has increased marginally from 37.9% last week to 38% this week, while the Mohale Dam recorded a decrease to 15.3% from 15.7% last week.

On the upside, the Grootdraai Dam is at 89.9% this week. During the same period last year, the dam was sitting at 78% — indicating that the dam has been being steadily on the upsurge.

The Sterkfontein Dam is currently at 93.5% — slightly higher than the 93.4% it recorded last week and last year at the same time, 

The Bloemhof Dam notched up from 98% last week to 99.5% this week. In the same period last year, the dam hovered at an impressive 102%.

While advising communities to abide by Covid-19 hygiene protocols by washing hands with soap and water to protect themselves against the coronavirus, the department of water & sanitation “urges both business and the households to use water sparingly”.