Water and Sanitation Weekly State of Reservoirs Report released

The Department of Water and Sanitation's (DWS) latest weekly reservoir report indicates that water storage levels in the Northern Cape remain strong at 97.6%, compared to 99.5% recorded last week. The province's reservoirs have a combined full supply capacity of 149.29 million cubic meters.

Vanderkloof Dam, located within the Orange River System on the border of the Northern Cape and Free State, has declined slightly from 100.4% last week to 99.7% this week.

The province's two major river systems continue to record healthy water levels. The Vaal River System has decreased marginally from 100.6% to 100.2%, while the Orange River System increased from 99.9% last week to 100.2% this week.

Other key water storage facilities recorded the following levels:

Spitskop Dam near Jan Kempdorp: 103.1% (down from 104.4%)

Vaalharts Weir near Warrenton: 81.2% (up from 76.5%)

Douglas Weir: 112.3%

Karee Dam: 97.6%

The dams and weirs mentioned above are not intended for long-term water storage. They serve primarily as balancing and multi-purpose facilities, functioning as distribution points where water is diverted into pipelines, canals and power-generating turbines.

Water level readings from gauging stations along the Orange River were recorded as follows:

Marksdrift: 1.109 metres high.

Katlani (downstream of the Vaal-Orange confluence): 1.390 metres.

Prieska: 1.542 metres.

Upington: 1.493 metres.

Onseepkans: 1.428 metres.

Sendelingsdrift: 1.625 metres.

The Department of Water and Sanitation continues to urge all water users across the province to use water wisely and responsibly to safeguard water resources and ensure sustainable water availability for current and future generations.

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