As temperatures rise dam levels around the country continue to drop with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calling on South Africans to ramp up their water conservation efforts.  

The department says its weekly state of reservoirs report shows that dam levels are decreasing on a daily basis with those in Mpumalanga taking a considerable knock.

According to the report average level of storage for dams in Mpumalanga decreased from last week’s 73.9% to 73.1% as recorded on Monday, 11 September.

The report also shows that the water levels in the Olifants and Inkomati-Usuthu Water Management Areas (WMA) also decreased, with the Olifants WMA standing at 69.5% from last week’s 70.8% and the InkomatiUsuthu standing at 71.6% from 72.3% last week.

Major declines in Mpumalanga dam levels

The Mpumalanga dam levels report shows some major declines, with some dams showing decreases of more than 5%. The most affected dams by the declines is the Primkop Dam which decreased by about 5.1% from 80.9% to 75.8% followed by the Vygeboom Dam which decreased by 4% from 91.1% to 87.1%.

Although most dams are currently in a satisfactory position, with most ranging between 64% and 99%, there are still some dams with the least amount of water which require extra caution in terms of water use.

These dams include the Driekoppies Dam which decreased from 44.9% to 44.4%, the Morgenstond Dam which decreased from 48.9% to 48.2% and the Rhenosterkop Dam which decreased from 16.2% to 15.8%.

“Due to the lack of rain and the extreme heat being experienced, the water levels in our dams and rivers will continue with their decline and this calls for all citizens to play their role and arrest the rollercoaster depletion of our water resources. Let us all work together to use water sparingly and wisely by eliminating water wastage in our area,” the department said.