Vaal Dam water level drops to 34.8%

John Perlman interviews Wisane Mavasa of the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Listen below.

The latest weekly report from the Department of Water and Sanitation highlights a troubling decline in dam water capacity across much of South Africa.

Currently, 31 dams hold less than 50% of their full capacity, with some dipping below 1%.

This week, the Vaal Dam, a crucial component of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), reported a capacity of 34.8%.

This represents a decrease from 36.2% the previous week and a significant drop from 75% at the same time last year.

Mavasa says there is no immediate cause for alarm.

She explains that the IVRS, which includes approximately 14 dams, currently averages around 74%, in line with the national average. 

Mavasa says the current situation reflects the impact of delayed summer rains but expresses optimism about wetter conditions expected in December and January.

"The situation that's happening currently is not the first time that it's happened. We were there in November 2020 and by December the dam levels started improving again."

- Wisane Mavasa, Spokesperson – Department of Water and Sanitation

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.