Drought in Gauteng, South Africa
In September, the DWA announced that it will be reducing the water supply to all Gauteng municipalities, in the wake of the worst drought South Africa has seen in 30 years. Aside from trying to convince users to desperately save water (hey Houghton Estate and Dainfern, that means you too) the department had to take measures to mitigate disaster, and so, water shedding has been implemented in the Ekurhuleni and Tshwane municipalities.
In case you haven’t noticed, South Africa is currently experiencing a pretty severe drought. Not only is it unseasonably warm for this time of year, there is also insufficient rainfall across the country. As if that weren’t enough, irresponsible water usage is rife.
According to the DWA, the Vaal River System, which supplies water to 14 dams, dropped to 49, 7% last week. The system was at 68, 8% in 2015. The Vaal Dam is at it lowest at a level of 26% and the faint smattering of rain we’ve received these past few weeks has done nothing to boost its water level.
Martin Heigan