The Mpumalanga Province has recorded improvements in various of their dams and the water management areas (WMA) as a result of the good rains received over the past week.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) weekly state of reservoirs report of 18 April 2022 demonstrated that the average water levels in storage in the listed dams in the Mpumalanga Province increased from last week’s 95.1% to 96.3% which is about 8.2% higher than the same period last year when the dam levels stood at 88.1%. In the water management areas, the Olifants WMA increased from 83.2% to 84.5% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA increased from 99.4% to 100.3%.

All the listed dams in the Lowveld and Ehlanzeni District recorded improvements in water levels. Blyderivierpoort Dam increased from 100.6% to 101.7%, Buffelskloof from 100.3% to 100.8%, Driekoppies from 100.6% to 100.7%, Longmere from 101.1% to 101.6%, Klipkopjes from 100.2% to 100.8%, Witklip from 100.6% to 101.2%, Primkop from 100.4% to 101.6%, Kwena from 100.6% 101.6%, Da Gama from 100.3% to 100.8%, Inyaka from 84.7% to 85.3% and Ohrigstad from 48.6% to 48.8%.

The Gert Sibande District also saw all the listed dams recording increases in water volumes. Grootdraai Dam increased from 107.7% to 107.8%, Nooitgedacht from 102.0% to 103.2%, Vygeboom from 100.9% to 104.0%, Jericho from 100.9% to 101.3%, Westoe from 100.5% to 102.9%, Morgenstond from 98.6% to 99.9% and Heyshope from 101.3% to 102.1%.

Witbank and Middelburg dams in the Nkangala District, are the only listed dams that recorded declines in water volumes in the Mpumalanga Province. Witbank Dam dropped from 101.5% to 100.8% and Middelburg Dam dropped from 96.7% to 96.4%. Elsewhere in the District, Loskop Dam increased from 103.0% to 104.6% and Rhenosterkop / Mkhombo Dam increased from 28.6% to 33.6%.

The Department of Water and Sanitation urges the public to use water sparingly even though there are still some good rains, especially as the dry winter season approaches. Much-needed rain in our water-scarce country continues to rain, the Department calls on the public to prioritise safety first and avoid being negatively affected by flash floods and thunderstorms.