Mpumalanga residents urged to use water sparingly

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on Mpumalanga residents to use the available water the province has, wisely and sparingly, as dam levels record a marginal decrease from last week’s 86.0% to 85.1% in the current week. 

In a statement on Thursday, the department urged residents to fix and report water leaks.

A weekly status of dam levels report issued by the department also shows a decrease in the Water Management Areas (WMA). 

The Olifants WMA dropped from 78.0% to 77.0% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA dropped from 87.5% to 87.0%.

In terms of the districts, Ehlanzeni dropped from 86.5% to 85.4%, Gert Sibande dropped from 83.9% to 83.4%, and Nkangala dropped from 89.1% to 87.7%.

The department noted that there are no improvements recorded in most dams across the province, with only a few dams remaining unchanged and the majority recording declines.

The listed dams which recorded declines in water levels in Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld include Blyderivierpoort from 79.0% to 76.6%, Buffelskloof from 66.7% to 63.6%, Witklip from 83.8% to 82.1%, Kwena from 82.1% to 79.9%, Da Gama from 89.6% to 87.8%, Inyaka from 89.9% to 88.7%, and Ohrigstad from 35.0% to 29.9%.

The dams that remained unchanged in the Lowveld include Driekoppies Dam at 92.7%, Longmere at 91.1%, Klipkopjes at 85.4%, and Primkop at 50.8%.

In Gert Sibande District, Grootdraai Dam dropped from 77.1% to 76.0%, Nooitgedacht from 79.8% to 79.2%, Vygeboom from 98.1% to 96.9%, and Westoe from 36.4% to 36.0%. 

All the listed dams in the Nkangala District continue to decrease in water volumes with Witbank Dam further dropping from 92.5% to 91.0%, Middelburg Dam from 85.4% to 84.3%, Loskop Dam from 90.2% to 88.5%, and Rhenosterkop Dam from 86.1% to 85.5%. – SAnews.gov.za