Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 16-11-2016
The Department of Water and Sanitation says dam levels need to be at least 50% full for the country to be in comfortable position.
Government earlier declared eight provinces including KwaZulu-Natal disaster areas due to insufficient rainfall.
The department says despite the torrential rain which caused flash floods in Gauteng last week, the bulk of the water did not feed in to the Vaal River System but rather into the Jukskei, and Crocodile Rivers which leads to the Haartebeespoort Dam.
The Vaal River system consists of 14 dams mainly servicing the Gauteng province with at least 13 million users.
Spokesperson Sputnik Ratau says it will take between 2 to 5 years to recover from the crippling drought gripping most of the country.
“We hoping that by the end of the rainy season which is March/April next year, we will have recharged most of our rivers systems and our dams to the effect that we will be able to go through the dry winter season next year with sufficient water to last us into the spring and early summer of 2017.”
Ratau says while some dam levels have appreciated, much more rainfall is needed in KZN and the Free State where some dam levels have dropped to below 10%.
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