The Department of Water and Sanitation says the water in the Theewaterskloof Dam in the Western Cape is not being wasted and it is concerned about the misinformation being peddled on social media.

The Department was responding to recent social media reports that showed a “broken” sluice gate in the Theewaterskloof Dam with water pouring out of it.

According to the department the sluice gate in question is not broken and the water is not being wasted but rather is intentionally being released to water users downstream as the City of Cape Town is not the only user of water from the dam.

Other water users

“Irrigators along the Riviersonderend River are entitled to an irrigation allocation from the dam.  These releases are however restricted to the curtailed level of 60% of their allocation,” the department said in a statement.

“Some of the water released is for abstraction by the Overberg Water Board acting as a sole source of bulk potable water services to the towns of Caledon within Theewaterskloof Local Municipality, settlements of Protem and Klipdale in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality, and drinking and stock-water to farmers in the Ruens veld of the Overberg.”

Releases will cease

The department said releases will cease once the irrigators have taken their full share of the curtailed allocation prior to end of April 2018.

“Occasional releases may happen if water security for the Overberg Water Board is under severe pressure to supply its users,” the department concluded.