High temperatures and a lack of rainfall have continued to put pressure on dwindling dam levels across the country and especially within the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS).
The Department of Water and Sanitation on Wednesday reiterated its call for consumers to cut back on their water use, as the IVRS decreased to 58.8% full this week, compared with 59.6% last week.
The IVRS consists of 14 dams that contribute to the water supply of Gauteng.
The current levels of the IVRS are lower than the same period last year, when it stood at 75.5%.
In particular, the Vaal dam’s level had decreased to 46.2% this week, compared with 47.8% last week and 82.9% this time last year.
The Grootdraai dam dropped to 52.9% this week from last week’s 53.7%, and 71% this time last year.
The Sterkfontein dam was floating strong at 91.3% full this week, compared with 93.4% last week and 94.3% this time last year.
The Bloemhof dam was down from 78.4% last week to 76.3% this week. It also remained below the 82% level reported this time last year.
The Katse dam is at 13.4% currently, compared with 47% this time last year, mainly as a result of the two-month planned maintenance shutdown on the Lesotho Water Highlands Project transfer tunnel.
The Mohale dam was at 32.5% this week, compared with 32.6% last week and 18% this time last year.
Despite the IVRS not being in a critical state at the moment, the department again urged water users to amplify their water saving efforts.