Johannesburg – The recent heavy rainfall has brought with it great relief for the Vaal River system.
The catchment area consists of 14 dams, including the Vaal Dam, which is now at its highest level in 20 months.
On Wednesday morning it was reported that the dam level was at 71.62%. On Tuesday alone, the level increased by almost 7%, with it being at just over 64% at the start of the week.
“The current rains have been helpful in a number of ways to the entire integrated Vaal River system,” said Sputnik Ratau, spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
“A lot of water fell in the catchment areas and has been good for our dams. However, this doesn’t mean the drought is over,” he cautioned.
“The rise in levels doesn’t imply that people must stop saving water or using it sparingly."
“We have to remember that South Africa is a water-scarce country and that the way we use our water will have an impact down the line,” Ratau stressed.
He said that with the rainy season usually ending only late in April, the DWS was hoping that more rains like this week’s downpours would fall so that dam levels would continue to rise.
“We need to get more rains and continue saving water if we’re going to survive the winter and get to the next rainy season,” Ratau added.
The DWS, working together with Rand Water, appealed to the public to guard against any increase in water consumption.
The 15% curtailment of water supply by municipalities still remains in force and the public is encouraged to adhere to these restrictions to avoid water levels falling to dangerously low levels.
According to the SA Weather Service, Joburg and the Vaal area had received 109mm and 107mm of rain on Monday and Tuesday.
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