Major dams full after good rains
The Vaal Dam is about 110% full, compared with 71% a year ago, the water department says
South Africans can take heart that the recent rains have filled up major dams, the silver lining to gloom over the overcast weather inland and flooding along river banks on the Vaal.
The level of the Vaal Dam has risen 3.3% this week, placing it at 110.5% on Wednesday morning, said the national water department. At this time in 2021 it was at 71.4%.
The Grootdraai Dam recorded an increase from 101.8% last week to 102.3% this week, while the Bloemhof Dam is at 109%.
The Sterkfontein Dam is at 101.9% capacity. It is one of the 14 dams in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) and is used to replenish the system in times of need.
The Mohale Dam in Lesotho made a slight improvement to 66% this week from 63.6% last week. In the comparative week in 2021, the dam was at just 26.8% and capacity had been declining for months.
The second highest dam in the IVRS, also in Lesotho, the Katse Dam, is at 100.5%. During the same period in 2021, the level was 54.8%.
The IVRS itself has seen an increase this week, rising to 100.5% — a strong improvement from this time in 2021 when it was at 76.4%.
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