WESTERN CAPE DAM LEVELS increase after good rain and snow

The level of dams in the Western Cape has risen to an average of 61,2% due to significant rainfall accompanied by snow in the catchments of the province at the end of July and the first week of August.

“Western Cape dam levels hit a four-year high, while some major dams are already 100%,” said Anton Bredell, the Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

According to Sputnik Ratau, spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation, good rainfall across some parts of the province had left much of the ground soaked, which had assisted the run-off from rainfall catchment areas to flow speedily into dams.

“This run-off will hopefully penetrate other water systems, including groundwater,” he said.

Despite good rainfall over large parts of the province, the Gourits River catchment area, which feeds a large part of the interior Karoo region, remained a problem area, Bredell said.

“We remain concerned [about] the ongoing drought challenge, particularly to the agriculture sector in this region.” The situation was in contrast to dam levels in other parts of the country.

“Our inland provinces are not receiving rain, and therefore dam levels are declining,” Ratau said. He added, however, that the decline was minor and understandable, as these were summer rainfall areas.

Ratau stressed, however, that there was some concern about dam levels in parts of the Northern Cape.

“The southern Northern Cape is struggling a lot. The area experienced rainfall anomalies; it’s supposed to receive summer rainfall, which it did not.” – Jeandré van der Walt