Videos and photographs of Gauteng’s flash floods dominated television screens and social media sites last week. Unfortunately, the rainfall was not quite enough to provide the relief the country so desperately needs.

The Department of Water and Sanitation said that despite recent rains, dam levels remain far from its 50% target.

The Vaal Dam, mainly serving residents in the Gauteng province, saw a positive increase since last week from 26.5% to 30.9% recorded by Rand Water on Monday.

The release of water from the Sterkfontein Dam last week Monday also contributed to the Vaal’s current levels.

Department spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau said: “This rain that has fallen over the last few days has not taken us out of the situation yet.

“Our ideal is that the dam should be at about 50 to 60 percent at this time of the year, moving towards the rainy season,” he added.

Gauteng Weather also commented on the recent rainfall and said that the torrential downpours had very little effect on the Vaal as not enough rain was recorded in the area.

Flash floods are however still possible, as much of the soil in densely built up areas remains highly saturated, therefore runoff can spill over into the streets.

Earlier in November, Johannesburg Water maintained level 2 water restrictions because a continuous water supply will minimise the occurrence of burst pipes as pressure would remain constant.

Municipalities such as Ekhurleni and Tshwane have also escalated water rationing by cutting off water between 9pm and 5am.