The Department of Water and Sanitation says while the heavy downpours in the Western Cape have caused major disruptions, loss and extensive damage, there is good news – dam levels are looking extremely positive and should reach full capacity towards the end of the winter rainfall season in the province.
It urges the public to always heed warnings about flooding and adhere to instructions for their own safety.
The severe weather systems that hit the Western Cape have caused flooding and damage amounting to hundreds of millions of rands.
An official disaster declaration has been made. The Department of Water and Sanitation’s Provincial Head Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa says every effort is being made to ensure the public is well informed about possible extreme weather.
“We are always on the alert because our hydrology team, our infrastructure team, they are working very closely with the municipalities and where there is a need to warn community members we work with the municipalities.”
The department says dam levels are rising rapidly following the severe weather conditions. Bila-Mupariwa says that combined all dams in the province are nearly 90% fuller than they were last week, with more rain expected.
She says plans to look at alternative water sources, such as the use of groundwater, are afoot to diversify the country’s water resource mix.
As we know the Minister has pronounced on the increase in water resources, the investment that we are going to make as a department. We would like to encourage the municipalities to prepare their business plans to support what they are going to do, working very closely with the department to ensure that there is water security. And secondly is what the Minister has announced which is that we should look at diversifying the water mix.
Despite the heavy rains, South Africa will always remain a water-scarce country and the public is urged to use water wisely.