MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Although not at an alarming rate, dam levels in the greater Mossel Bay area are dropping.
This week levels of both the Wolwedans Dam and Klipheuwel Dam dropped to below 70%.
A week-on-week comparison indicates that the Wolwedans dropped by 0.73% from 70.17% on 14 January to 69.43% on 21 January. Mossel Bay receives its potable water from this dam.
This also means that no water from the Wolwedans Dam may in the foreseeable future be used to breach Great Brak River to join it to the sea. This is only permitted when the dam level exceeds 70%.
The Klipheuwel Dam dropped from 65.28% on 14 January to 65.18% while the Ernest Robertson Dam, in the same period, dropped below 100% to 99.04%.
In comparison, the dam levels on 5 November last year were; Wolwedans 73.23%, Ernest Robertson 94.59% and Klipheuwel 75.47%. The Hartebeestpoort Dam, from which most farmers in the Hartenbos area use water for farming, is almost empty.
The Mossel Bay Municipality again urged consumers to use water sparingly.
Worst drought
MEC of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Minister Anton Bredell noted in a statement: "This remains the worst drought in recent memory, an unprecedented event.
"The department has several ongoing interventions in place across the entire region including several experts on the ground monitoring the situation continuously. The department will also be sending another delegation to the towns of Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn this week to further determine the needs on the ground," Bredell said. He added that in the Karoo region, as with the farmers in the greater Mossel Bay area, surface water (dams) had been inadequate for a number of years.
Bredell said that in some neighbouring towns to Mossel Bay, residents were already restricted to water use of as little as 50 litres per day.
"It is important that the water resources in the towns be managed adequately and continuously. We suggest that communities in the Karoo region reduce their consumption as far as possible and we would recommend that communities lower consumption to 50 litres per day and that the local councils consider applying stricter water restrictions."
Read a related article here: Drought worsens
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