Despite the isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms experienced in most parts of the country this week, the elevated temperatures ranging from warm to extremely hot weather conditions have resulted in a slight decrease of the national water storage levels from 81.4% to 80.7% this week.

This was revealed by the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly report on the state of water reservoirs in the country. Mpumalanga province has the highest dam levels among other provinces with 94.9% this week, followed by Gauteng with 91% and KwaZulu Natal with 87.6%.

Grootdraai Dam in Mpumalanga which is part of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) is currently overflowing at its full capacity of 101.6% this week, moving from last week’s 102.5%. Other major dams in the province are also operating at high-capacity levels above 90%. Middleburg Dam in Olifants River is at 100.1% this week, improving from last week’s 98.9%. Loskop Dam is at 99.9% this week, dropping from 100.5% last week. Tonteldoos Dam is also at 100.5% this week.

Kwena Dam is the source of Mpumalanga’s Crocodile East Water Supply System that supplies water to the province’s capital city Nelspruit, Kanyamazane, Matsulu, Malelane and Komatipoort and the surrounding areas. It has improved from 85.8% to 86.8% this week. Although Gauteng provincial water storage levels are at 91% this week, Vaal Dam which is one of the country’s largest dams in the IVRS is sitting comfortably at 61.3% with a slight of 0.4% this week. The IVRS has also marginally moved from 83.9% to 83.7% this week.

Kwazulu-Natal province is the third province with the highest water storage levels sitting at 87.6% this week compared to last week’s 90%. The provinces Water Supply Systems (WSS) are also sitting comfortably above 90%. Umhlathuze WSS has slightly decreased from 95.2% to 95% this week, followed by Umgeni WSS that has moved positively from 91.5% to 91.9% this week.

Limpopo province water storage levels are at 84.1% this week, slightly dropping from 84.3%. Luvuvhu WSS serving Thohoyandou has also dropped from 98.7% to 98.4% this week. Polokwane WSS is at 100.7% full capacity this week

The water levels in the Eastern Cape are stable by 80.8% this week. Algoa WSS which supplies Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Sarah Baartman District, Kouga Local Municipality and Gamtroos Irrigation, has slightly dropped from 78.3% to 78% this week. Butterworth Water Supply System has is at 99.9% this week

Amathole WSS has improved from 98.3% to 99.6% this week. The system has a total of six dams which serve Bhisho, Buffalo City and East London. Klipplaat WSS which serves Chris Hani District Municipality has dropped from 85.5% to 84.5%. Free State water storage levels have moved from 76.2% to 76.0% this week. Bloemfontein WSS that supply Mangaung and the surrounding areas has also slightly dropped from 69.4% to 69.2% this week.

North West has slightly dropped from 70.9% to 70.2% this week, with the Crocodile West WSS which serves Tshwane in Gauteng and Rustenburg also moving from 88.7% to 87.9% this week. Northern Cape province has experienced a huge drop in its water storage levels from 66.4% to 57.5% this week. The province’s Orange WSS which supplies the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces has remained unchanged at moving from 73.8%.

Western Cape province has not had any significant rainfall since its Winter rainfalls last year, and this has resulted in its water levels going on a downward spiral week-on-week. This week, the surface water storage level has dropped from 76.2% to 74.2%, with Cape Town WSS also dropping from 81.6% to 79.6% this week. The Department of Water and Sanitation calls on the citizens to continuously use water sparingly and observe water conservation measures, despite the stability of the country’s surface water storage capacity in the majority of the dams.