South Africa is in the middle of a potential wet season as heavy rainfalls continue to fall over large parts of the country, making a significant improvement in the country's water situation
Persistent rains have boosted the country's dam levels remarkably as they rose from 69,7% to 72,2% in the past week. The figure represents a 13% improvement compared to the same period last year when it was recorded at 59,5%.
With more thunderstorms expected to fall in Gauteng, Free State and Eastern Cape in the next two days, the water situation is expected to improve drastically by this weekend.
The latest weekly report on dam levels by the Department of Water and Sanitation estimates the volume of water that is stored in reservoirs at 23 101,2 cubic metres (80%). In the past week levels in the Free State shot from 82,3% to 86,6%, thanks to the heavy downpours that drenched large parts of the province.
The good news is that Eastern Cape dams are filling up rapidly as the rains continue to pound the drought-prone province. According to the weekly report, the province's dam levels increased from 51,7% to 52,5%. This is a seven percent improvement compared to the corresponding period last year when the dams stood at 46%.
At 98,9%, Northern Cape dam levels are on the verge of reaching full capacity after last week's heavy rains. The figure reflects a huge improvement in the province's water situation compared to the same period when the dam levels stood at 77,8%.
Click here for the report on reservoir levels.
Source: agrisa.co.za