{"id":296948,"date":"2026-03-16T15:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/?p=296948"},"modified":"2026-03-16T15:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:43:12","slug":"drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NELSON MANDELA BAY<\/strong> – Nelson Mandela Bay residents have been urged to drastically reduce water usage as the region faces a severe water crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drought affecting the Eastern Cape has been declared a national disaster, highlighting the urgent need for conservation and coordinated measures to protect the Metro\u2019s dwindling water supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement issued today (16 March), the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said the National Disaster Management Centre classified the drought as a national disaster in February, emphasising the severity of the water crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said it highlights the seriousness of the situation and the urgent need for residents to reduce water consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWater security remains one of the most critical priorities for our Metro. The investment we are making in infrastructure upgrades and drought mitigation interventions demonstrates the seriousness with which we are addressing this challenge,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, infrastructure alone will not solve the crisis if water consumption remains this high. I am therefore making a clarion call to all residents, businesses and institutions to drastically reduce their water usage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the municipality, the combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, bringing the city dangerously close to the point where water security becomes severely constrained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dam\"
The combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, bringing the city dangerously close to the point where water security becomes severely constrained. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dam levels significantly lower than last year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Municipality, 10% of dam capacity is classified as dead storage, meaning it cannot be extracted through normal systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drop is significant compared with the same period last year. In March 2025, the Metro\u2019s combined dam levels were recorded at 73.85%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The municipality\u2019s largest dam, Impofu Dam, has also seen a sharp decline, dropping from 55.86% last year to about 39% currently. The decrease has been attributed to below-average rainfall during the prolonged drought affecting the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, water consumption in the Metro remains well above sustainable levels. The municipality said the city is currently consuming about 373 million litres of water per day, roughly 93 million litres above the allocated limit, placing additional strain on already depleted resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If consumption is not reduced, Nelson Mandela Bay could face severe supply constraints less than three years after the drought that nearly pushed the Metro to Day Zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drought mitigation plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To respond to the crisis, the municipality has activated its Drought Mitigation Plan, which outlines emergency measures aimed at stabilising water supply and reducing consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These interventions include upgrading infrastructure to maximise water from existing sources, improving abstraction systems and pump stations, expanding the capacity of the Nooitgedagt Water Treatment Works, developing additional groundwater sources through strategic wellfields, implementing treated effluent reuse and accelerating pipeline rehabilitation and system upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The municipality said more than R80 million has already been invested during the current financial year to refurbish pipelines, rehabilitate pump stations and appoint plumbing contractors to repair leaks and improve system performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lobishe has called for collective action across the Metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWater security is a shared responsibility. By adopting a water-saving lifestyle and reducing unnecessary consumption, we can collectively protect this critical resource and ensure that Nelson Mandela Bay continues to function during this difficult period,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Municipality warns of possible water restrictions as dam levels drop <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nelson Mandela Bay residents have been urged to drastically reduce water usage as the region faces a severe water crisis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":296351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"78","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"0","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[8436,9490,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-296948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dam-levels","tag-drought-declared-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nDrought declared national disaster: What it means<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PE Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"PE Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@express_newspapers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@express_newspapers\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace\"},\"headline\":\"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":557,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"dam levels\",\"drought declared national disaster in Nelson Mandela Bay\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/\",\"name\":\"Drought declared national disaster: What it means\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Some residents go five days without water access.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/pe-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/pe-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"PE Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/express_newspapers\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace\",\"name\":\"PE Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"PE Express\"},\"description\":\"This is some test biographical information for PE Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peexpress\\\/author\\\/peexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Drought declared national disaster: What it means","description":"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark","og_description":"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/","og_site_name":"PE Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"PE Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@express_newspapers","twitter_site":"@express_newspapers","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/"},"author":{"name":"PE Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace"},"headline":"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark","datePublished":"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/"},"wordCount":557,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","keywords":["dam levels","drought declared national disaster in Nelson Mandela Bay","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/","name":"Drought declared national disaster: What it means","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-16T13:43:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T13:43:12+00:00","description":"Combined dam levels supplying Nelson Mandela Bay stands at 40.29%, as drought is declared a national disaster.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","width":1024,"height":768,"caption":"Some residents go five days without water access."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/drought-declared-a-national-disaster-in-nelson-mandela-bay\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"National disaster declared as Bay dam levels near critical mark"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/","name":"PE Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#organization","name":"PE Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pe-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pe-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"PE Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/x.com\/express_newspapers","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46d3a3fe4ef03892348a907387c87ace","name":"PE Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-pe-express-site-icon-96x96.png","caption":"PE Express"},"description":"This is some test biographical information for PE Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/author\/peexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/create-a-featured-image-illustrating-cape-towns-current-water-crisis.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295865,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/municipality-warns-of-possible-water-restrictions-as-dam-levels-drop\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":0},"title":"Municipality warns of possible water restrictions as dam levels drop","author":"Natasha Bezuidenhout","date":"28 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The municipality has warned that without immediate consumption cuts, stricter water restrictions and supply interruptions may be unavoidable.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"According to figures released by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as of 7 April, the metro\u2019s combined dam levels are at 38.07%.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296092,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/kouga-urges-immediate-water-saving-as-dam-levels-decline-rapidly\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":1},"title":"Kouga urges immediate water saving as dam levels decline rapidly","author":"Kouga Express","date":"6 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Municipality urges all residents to reduce water consumption immediately as Algoa Water Supply System dam levels continue declining.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kouga Local Municipality is urging all residents to reduce their water consumption with immediate effect as dam levels in the Algoa Water Supply System continue to decline.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallery-ds-X_tEarX6svc-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298419,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/heavy-rains-bring-relief-to-nelson-mandela-bays-dam-levels\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":2},"title":"Heavy rains bring relief to Nelson Mandela Bay’s dam levels","author":"PE Express","date":"7 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Heavy rainfall across Nelson Mandela Bay has brought a major boost to dam levels, with several major dams now at full capacity.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rainfall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/diego_torres-water-815271-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298520,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/flood-response-and-water-disruptions-continue-across-nelson-mandela-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":3},"title":"Flood response and water disruptions continue across Nelson Mandela Bay","author":"PE Express","date":"11 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality\u2019s Roads and Transport Directorate are continuing mop-up and stormwater management in parts of the metro.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Addo Road is closed to the public.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NMB-flooding4.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297471,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/nmb-water-crisis-dam-levels-remain-below-30-usable-as-losses-mount\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":4},"title":"NMB water crisis: Dam levels remain below 30% usable as losses mount","author":"PE Express","date":"8 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Water levels in Nelson Mandela Bay remain critically low, with the Business Chamber warning urgent intervention is needed.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"According to figures released by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as of 7 April, the metro\u2019s combined dam levels are at 38.07%.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/waterwise_95823.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":295649,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/water-crisis-looms-as-nelson-mandela-bay-dams-drop-to-40\/","url_meta":{"origin":296948,"position":5},"title":"Water crisis looms as Nelson Mandela Bay dams drop to 40%","author":"PE Express","date":"14 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The metro is grappling with rapidly declining dam levels, infrastructure failures and soaring consumption that's 37% above sustainable targets.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Residents are urged to use water sparingly.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/decb36f923c64a1d914211208c160dec.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/decb36f923c64a1d914211208c160dec.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/decb36f923c64a1d914211208c160dec.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/decb36f923c64a1d914211208c160dec.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"PE Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296948"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=296948"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=296948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}