The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) experienced a week-on-week decline in average water levels from 84% to 83.7%.
However, despite the marginal drop and considering the expected fall owing to the dry winter season and the pressure from the decline of some of the major dams within the system, the IVRS remains stable.
During the corresponding period last year, the system was at 59.7%.
The Vaal dam’s water levels also remained safely stable this week, dropping slightly to 87% from last week’s 87.9%. Further, the water levels are significantly higher when compared with the 37.1% reported during the corresponding week last year.
The water levels of the Grootdraai dam fell from 79.3% last week to 78.9 % this week, while the levels of the reserve Sterkfontein dam, increased marginally to 100.7% from last week’s levels of 100.6% and the 94% reported this time last year.
While the Bloemhof dam’s water levels declined from 105.2% last week to 105% this week, the dam levels remain firm compared with the 95.4% it recorded in the comparative period last year.
However, the Mohale and Katse dams in Lesotho continued to drop this week.
“With the Mohale dam hovering around the levels of 30.8%, its situation is dire and concerning. The dam dropped from last week’s equally low levels of 31.2% while at the same time last year it stood at 5.4% which was far worse,” the Department of Water and Sanitation said in a statement.
Comparatively, the Katse dam’s water levels decreased to 65% from last week’s 65.5%. However, present levels of the dam are much higher than the 26.3% reported in the corresponding period last year.