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PHOTO: Duncan Alfreds, News24
- South Africa is poised for a wet Christmas after heavy rains.
- The country’s dam levels rose 2% after heavy rains.
- According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, this had improved the country’s water situation.
South Africans are poised for a “very wet” Christmas after the country’s dam levels rose 2% following heavy rains across much of the country in the past month, the Department of Water and Sanitation said Wednesday.
“The latest weekly report from the Department of Water and Sanitation on the levels of the dams shows that persistent rains have dramatically improved the water situation in the country,” he said.
The department added that the drought-stricken Eastern Cape had stabilized its dams by 50.7% after falling below half three months ago.
The constant showers have also improved Gauteng’s small dams from 96.15 to 97.4%, making the province the second highest region with enough water in the country so far.
Free State leads the pack at 75.1%, a figure reflecting a 3% improvement after last week’s 72.4%, while the Northern Cape remains third in the table at 89.8%.
READ ALSO | Hot prey! Summer rains improve levels in 7 provinces
Mpumalanga improved its dam levels from 64.4% to 66.7%, following steady rains in the Highveld and Lowveld for the past two weeks.
“The Witbank and Loskop dams in Highveld recorded 91.8% and 91.5% each, while the Blyderivierpoort dam in Lowveld recorded 89.5%,” the department said.
Limpopo dams increased 1% from 55.8 to 56.9%, while the Northwest held steady at 64.2% and the Western Cape continued to decline as its dams fell from 76 to 74.5% .
KwaZulu-Natal, the province that has seen steady rains, saw its dams rise to 55.8% this week.
“The coastal belt – the Natal-Midlands, uMkhanyakude and Zululand regions – has become saturated with light rains that significantly raised dam levels,” the department said.
He warned bathers not to flock to dams and rivers as an alternative to beaches.
This follows the closure of some beaches during the holiday season by the national government to combat the spread of Covid-19.
The department said that the South African Meteorological Services had forecast a severe thunderstorm in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Consequently, locals have been warned to prepare for flash floods in certain areas,” he added.
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