Durban — KwaZulu-Natal residents have been urged to continue using water sparingly since the province’s water storage capacity has declined.
The Department of Water and Sanitation in KZN called on residents to continue using water sparingly as the province’s water storage capacity had declined from last week’s 87.4% to 86.5%.
The department said the Nagle Dam on the uMngeni River had decreased from 91.6% to 84.2% and Woodstock Dam on the Tugela River declined from 100.2% to 93.0%. Unchanged are the Craigieburn, Mearns and Zaaihoek Dams, recording 100.4%, 56.0% and 90.6%, respectively.
It said the province’s main water supply system, Umgeni Water, had marginally dropped from last week’s 96.4% to 95.8% in the current week.
Midmar Dam on the system saw a decrease from 93.0% to 92.6%. Albert Falls Dam is at 94.9% from 95.1% recorded in the previous week, while the Inanda and Ntshingwayo Dams stood at 100.9% and 72.8%, respectively. The dams recorded 101.3% and 73.4% the previous week.
The department reiterated its plea to residents to fix and report water leaks to their local municipalities as a means to preserve the available water in the province.
This is as the department continued to work with its entities, Mhlathuze and Umgeni Water through the implementation of bulk water projects which are aimed at addressing water scarcity concerns in different parts of the province.
The department said one such project was the uMkhomazi Water Project, set to benefit the eThekwini Metro, Msunduzi, uMgungundlovu, Ugu, Ilembe and Harry Gwala districts. The project will transfer water from the uMkhomazi River to augment the uMngeni Water Supply System which supplies domestic water to more than five million people and industries in South Africa’s third largest regional economy.
The department emphasised the need for prudent water use even as above-average rainfall is predicted by the SA Weather Service in the upcoming summer season.
Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said: “Inasmuch as we are anticipating bucket loads of rainfall in the coming months, it remains important that we ensure that every drop of water used is accounted for. What climate change has taught us over the years is extreme weather patterns. So, we might have water in abundance today and gone the next day.
“One thing we must all keep in mind is that dams are used to store water and therefore, with the unpredictable extreme weather patterns, the stored water can evaporate throughout the summer season. In essence, the rainfall forecast is not an assurance that our dams will remain full. We need to make every drop count.”
Daily News