By Anita Dangazele
The Department of Water and Sanitation has lifted water restrictions in parts of the Nelson Mandela Bay region after the recent rainfall, but is hesitant to declare an end to the drought.
The rain brought significant relief from the eight-year drought in the Algoa Bay region, with a major recovery in dam levels which saw the Kouga Dam overflowing for the first time since 2015.
The department said its hesitancy came from warnings by climate experts that a strong El Niño system is developing which could overlap with warmer temperatures and lower rainfall across the country.
“The full impact of the anticipated El Niño effect is not known, so the department is hesitant to confidently declare that the protracted drought period has ended,” the department wrote.
El Niño refers to a warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
Department spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said it had lifted water restrictions in the Kouga and Groendal sub-systems due to improved water storage levels in the two dams until the next decision, which will be taken in November.
Mavasa said while restrictions were lifted in the two sub-systems, restrictions in the Kromme sub-system, which includes the Churchill and Impofu dams and the upstream catchment, remained in place until November.
In May, the Algoa Water Supply System recorded a total storage low level of only 13,3%, with Kouga Dam at 14,57%, Churchill Dam at 24,4%, Groendal Dam at 17,03%, and Impofu Dam at 6,79%.
The latest records of the system’s recovery show that the accumulative storage has reached 70%, with Kouga Dam at 101,42%, Churchill Dam at 100,93%, Groendal Dam at 101% and Impofu Dam at 24,37%.
Mavasa said water users are still required to continue using water responsibly, report water leaks and not exceed water use volumes.
She added that there would be continuous monitoring of the accumulation of rainfall-generated run-off water throughout the remainder of the monitoring period.
Pictured above: The overflowing Kouga dam
Image source: Facebook
