Recent rainfall in the Eastern Cape Province has boosted dam levels, according to the Department of Water & Sanitation. The provincial storage capacity rose from 80.0% to 81.1% this week, benefiting the Algoa and Amathole Water Supply Systems. Key dams like Kouga, Loerie, and Kromrivier have reached full capacity, while some eastern dams, such as Mabele and Nqadu, have seen declines.
This is according a statement from the Department of Water & Sanitation.
The statement reported a marginal increase in the provincial storage capacity, as noted in the latest weekly report from the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Hydrology unit. The capacity rose from 80.0% last week to 81.1% this week.
“The slight increase has had a significant positive impact, especially on the dams within the Algoa Water Supply System, which serves the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM).
“The system’s overall level has risen from 77.3% last week to 81.0% this week,” the statement read.
The statement added that the following dams have shown substantial improvements:
Kouga Dam is now at full capacity (100%)
Loerie Dam is also at full capacity (100%)
Kromrivier Dam has improved from 98.4% last week to 100.6% this week.
Impofu Dam, which has been a point of concern in recent months, has improved from 40.8% last week to 48.3% this week.
The statement further added that the Amathole Water Supply System, which services Buffalo City Metro (BCMM) and Amathole District Municipality (ADM), has also seen similar positive developments, with a current capacity of 100.4%.
The statement noted that key dams in the system include:
Bridle Drift Dam, at 100.8%
Nahoon Dam, at 99.9%
Rooikrans Dam, which has improved from 96.5% last week to 99.5% this week.
Laing Dam, which is at full capacity (101.3%).
“While the overall outlook is positive, the Department has noted some declines in dams on the eastern side of the province,” the statement noted.
For example:
Mabele Dam has decreased from 80.1% last week to 78.4% this week.
Nqadu Dam has dropped from 72.3% last week to 70.9% this week.
Umtata Dam has seen a slight increase from 98.5% to 98.6%.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation urges all water users in the province to continue using water sparingly, as conservation remains essential, particularly in areas where water levels are still unstable.”
