The Vaal Dam has seen a remarkable recovery in its water levels, jumping from a low 24.3% to 46.2% this week, thanks to heavy rainfall across several South African provinces. Real-time data from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) revealed an even more significant surge, with water levels reaching 50.53% overnight. This welcome boost is attributed to the severe rains that have swept through Gauteng, as well as other provinces, including the North West, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.
According to DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa, the Vaal Dam had been on a steady decline in recent months, primarily due to high temperatures causing increased evaporation and insufficient rainfall in the catchment areas. To address this, the government had been planning to release water from the Sterkfontein Dam to help maintain the Vaal Dam’s levels once it reached a critical 18% capacity. However, with the recent rainfall significantly improving inflow into the dam, the need for this intervention has been averted.
“The dam had experienced continuous decline over the past few months due to elevated temperatures and low inflows. But now, with the current dam levels climbing above 50%, the situation has greatly improved,” Mavasa explained in a statement on Wednesday. “There is now no need to release water from Sterkfontein Dam to support the Vaal Dam.”
The DWS also reported a notable improvement in the overall surface water storage levels in the country, which now stand at 79.8%, up from 74.5% last week. This increase reflects a positive trend, with rainfall providing much-needed relief to water reserves across the country and easing the pressure on water-scarce regions.
