Rapid intervention in water scarce areas
23 October 2019
The Minister of Human Settlement, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, has announced urgent measures to address water challenges in identified areas across the country, where dam levels have dropped alarmingly.
This follows the department’s latest dam levels report, which indicates that some of the country’s water reservoirs are losing one percent of stored water week-on-week. According to the report the levels have dropped from 73,3% in the same period last year to 60% this week, a 10% loss in 12 months.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, scientific projections are that hot temperatures will persist until the end of the summer period, next year. In addition, between October and mid-December 2019, the country will experience below-average rainfall that would be accompanied by hot temperatures thereby raising evaporation levels in the dams.
Minister Sisulu notes that the interventions will include completing the construction of water projects, the refurbishment of dysfunctional boreholes in drought-stricken areas, assigning a team of specialists for rapid intervention in identified areas and addressing dysfunctional water works.