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The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calls for intensified water conservation efforts as most listed dams in the Lowveld and the Ehlanzeni District record declines in water levels after recording slight improvements in the past week. This is more important in the light of the looming El Niño weather pattern as predicted by the South African Weather Services.

The latest DWS weekly State of Reservoirs report released this week shows that the majority of the listed dams in the Lowveld recorded drops in water levels, with the exception of Driekoppies, Primkop, and Da Gama dams, which remained unchanged at 100.2%, 103.0%, and 100.3%, respectively.

The dams which recorded declines include Blyderivierpoort from 100.3% to 100.2%, Buffelskloof Dam from 100.5% to 100.3%, Longmere Dam from 102.5% to 101.1%, Klipkopjes Dam from 101.8% to 100.4%, Witklip Dam from 100.6% to 100.4%, Kwena Dam from 100.4% to 100.3%, Inyaka Dam from 100.4% to 100.2%, and Ohrigstad Dam from 91.0% to 90.3%.

The decline recorded in most listed dams in the Lowveld remains a concern, despite the slight improvement in the overall average dam levels in Mpumalanga Province, which increased from 98.6% to 98.7%. At Water Management Area (WMA) level, the Limpopo-Olifants WMA recorded a marginal increase from 100.0% to 100.1%, while the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA, which covers the Lowveld and Ehlanzeni District, recorded a slight decline from 98.1% to 98.0%.

The district-level figures largely reflect the overall trends in dam levels across the province. Ehlanzeni was the only district to record a decline, with water levels decreasing from 100.2% to 100.0%. Gert Sibande recorded a slight improvement from 96.8% to 97.0%, while Nkangala increased from 100.2% to 100.4%.

The Department urges the public, households, farmers, businesses and institutions to intensify water conservation efforts and use available water wisely and sparingly. This is particularly important given that South Africa is a water-scarce country and that responsible water use is essential to maintaining water security.

The Department also calls on residents to promptly report and repair leaking taps and pipes on their properties, and to report leaks on municipal infrastructure to the relevant Water Services Authority.

Issued by Department of Water and Sanitation