Government has warned that the Vaal River System could reach critical levels within two weeks if Gauteng residents do not urgently and significantly reduce water usage. According to a statement by Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), the Vaal River System is currently at an average dam level of 27% capacity. This is the total average for the 14 dams that supply the system. The Vaal Dam in particular is losing water levels at an increasing rate of 1 % every week. This warning comes nearly two months after the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) implemented water restrictions for the Integrated Vaal River System, which largely affects water users in Gauteng. These restrictions included the 15% reduction in consumption by domestic users and 20% reduction for irrigation users. According to government, a combination of weather patterns, insufficient rainfall and irresponsible water usage across the province, are all indications that the system may reach a level of 25% in the next two weeks if there is no reduction in consumption. This will trigger the next level of interventions which could mean an increase in the percentage of water restrictions across the board.
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