For the first in twelve months, the Vaal Dam has dipped below the neutral 50% mark as it persists to decline week-on-week, signalling a need for water users to limit water use.

Presently the dam is hovering at 49.8% and is significantly lower compared with the level of 71.5% it recorded at the same week last year.

Last week the dam was sitting at 50.6%

Given the weekly drop in the levels of the Vaal Dam and other dams in the system, the Department of Water and Sanitation has urged water users to reduce their consumption to a bare minimum.

“The country is moving towards the dry winter season which will see less rainfall. Therefore, water users should be cautious in a manner in which they consume water and save the current resource.”

Other dams that form part of the Integrated Vaal River System

The other dams that form part of the Integrated Vaal River System with the Vaal Dam have also taken a knock this week.

One such dam is the Grootdraai, which fell from 89.0% last week to 87.8% this week. The present levels of the dam are reduced compared with the 75.5% it was last year at the same time.

Other dams that have seen a decrease are the Katse and Mohale dams. These two dams have raised alarm as they continue to drop weekly. The Mohale dam deteriorated this week, moving from last week’s 14.4% to 13.6% this week.

In the preceding year at the same week the dam was at 33.3%, indicating it has consistently remained in an unfavourable position for a number of months now.

Closely behind the Mohale Dam is the Katse, which has also shown no improvement in levels for months. The dam fell from 37.6% last week to 37.2% this week. Both these levels are higher compared with the levels of 33.8% the dam saw during the same week in the preceding year.

The Sterkfontein Dam, which is a reserve that is located in the Free State, is on an upward trajectory this week. It notched up from 93.4% last week to 93.6% this week.

Similarly up, the Bloemhof Dam surged up from 100.1% last week to 100.6% this week. However, the current levels are lower when compared with the 103.7% in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Vaal River System has slightly declined this week, moving from 67.6% last week to this week’s 67.3%.