The decline in levels of Integrated Vaal River System (IRVS) could put pressure on the available water resources in Gauteng if the province does not receive good rainfalls in the next coming weeks.

The IVRS is currently floating at 65.4%, slightly lower from 65.5% last week.

The current levels of the IVRS are significantly below those of last year at the same period when it stood at 80.5%.

The Gauteng Region of the Department of Water and Sanitation has thus appealed on water consumers to use water sparingly as the province has not had any meaningful rains.

Water consumers are asked to take into account both the levels of the IVRS and the Vaal Dam which are dropping week-on-week.

The Department believes that drastically reducing usage will ensure that dam levels in Gauteng do not reach a critical point.

Week-on-week dam level drop:

• The Vaal Dam recorded another decrease as it moved from 58.0% last week to 57.9%.
• The Grootdraai dam’s levels dropped to 59.7% this week, from 60.1%.
• The Sterkfontein Dam has recorded a minor decline this week, at 91.9%, compared with last week’s 92.0%
• Bloemhof Dam remains unchanged from 94.1% last week, but is lower than the 96.3% reported during the comparative period at the same time.
• Katse Dam, one Vaal Dam’s main suppliers, is alarmingly low presently hovering at 16.9%, the same levels it recorded last week.
• The Mohale Dam remains stagnant this week at 33.0% Compared to the same period last year when the dam stood at 22.3%.