If Gautengers use water sparingly between now and May — when authorities will re-assess the drought situation — restrictions might not be necessary in 2006 and 2007, Rand Water said on Wednesday.
This is in spite of the Vaal Dam being only 32% full and falling by a further one percent each day. The statement included a list of nine tips and a warning that when the Vaal Dam reaches the 16% mark, water will have to be released from other sources in the Vaal system.
”At that stage water will be released from Sterkfontein Dam near Harrismith to flow via the Wilge River into Vaal Dam to maintain the level to 16% or slightly above,” read a statement from Rand Water.
”The Department of Water Affairs (DWAF) will warn affected parties of releases at least two weeks before this happens by means of the media and through organised agriculture,” said DWAF engineer Walther van der Westhuizen.
”There is enough water in the Vaal system to use during the next two years.”
Rand Water’s head of catchment management, Francois van Wyk, repeated warnings that the rainfall season was expected to be below average, which meant the Vaal Dam was not expected to fill up this summer.
”This implies that by next winter, the dam will still be very low, and the winter still lies ahead (where there will be no rain). It does not take much to realise that we are in a serious drought situation,” he said.
Van Wyk pointed out that the low-level Vaal Dam was being fed from upriver by the Bloemhof Dam, which was in an even worse state.
The tips were:
