DURBAN - RECENT heavy rainfall has moved KwaZulu-Natal’s water storage to 71.7% capacity this week, compared to 71.1% last week and better than the 60.5% from last year.
The Department of Water and Sanitation said four of the five dams that are part of the Umgeni Water Supply System seemed to have benefited from scattered rainfall over the last few days, which influenced the outlook of the province as a whole.
“The Umgeni Water Supply System slightly increased from 80.8% last week to 81.2% this week. Among the dams that have recorded an increase are: Midmar Dam increasing from 100.2% last week to 100.5% this week; Albert Falls moved up from last week’s 47.7% to 48.4% this week; Spring Grove improved from 80.0% to 81.3%; and Inanda, which is located on the mountainous area in the eThekwini Outer West Municipality, is steady at 101.5%,” the department said.
Some dams continued to rise above the 100% mark like Spioenkop at 100.6% from last week’s 100.7%, Mearns from 100% to 100.6%, Wagendrift from 101.3% to 101.5%, Klipfontein from 100.8% to 101.0%, Craigieburn from 100.6% to 101.1% and Hluhluwe Dam is at 101.8%.
Pongolapoort and Goedertrouw increased moderately from 53.5% and 71.1% to 54.4% and 72.7% respectively.
However, Hazelmere Dam dropped from 56.2% to 55.1%.
Despite the marginal increase in water levels due to scattered showers, the department warned residents not to lower their guard as far as saving water was concerned, they should continue to use water sparingly.
Yesterday ((WED)), KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) confirmed that Smakade Magwaza, 62, and his grandson Lwandle Magwaza, eight, who were swept off the uThukela Bridge between Kranskop and Nkandla on February 12, were still missing.
Last week, Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka welcomed the declaration of national state of disaster by Cogta Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for areas that were affected by strong winds and floods due to tropical storm Eloise and summer season rains.
The Government Gazette was signed by Dlamini-Zuma on February 24.
The damages caused to the province since January 24 are estimated at R989 million.
Since January 24, at least 14 people have lost their lives as a result of inclement weather. The death toll includes the two men who were killed when a wall collapsed on their informal housing in Siyanda near KwaMashu, north of Durban and a person who had been swept away while trying to cross a flooded low-lying bridge in Mtubatuba, further north of Durban, last week.