Dam water levels are reportedly boding well for the province as the fight to contain the spread of the Corona Virus intensifies.
The water levels, including water tanks that were delivered by the government this week Monday 6 April 2020 to various Mpumalanga communities, will ensure that people are able to regularly wash their hands.
The department of water and sanitation’s 30 March 2020 report shows that dams in the province recorded improvements in water volumes.
The report shows that, though a slight improvement, the average dam levels increased from 74.7% to 75.0% in that week of 30 March.
In terms of the water management areas, the Olifants increased from 67.4% to 67.6% and the Inkomati-Usuthu cachement area increased from 71.2% to 71.6%.
In the Nkangala district, there has been improvement in major dams of the Olifants catchment.
The only drop was that of the critically low Rhenosterkop dam – from 1.8% to 1.7%.
– Witbank dam increased from 97.8% to 98.4%,
– Middelburg dam increased from 95.7% to 96.7%
– Loskop dam increased from 98.8% to 100.1%.
The department was calling on people to use water sparingly “as every drop counts”.
“We reiterate our call to the public to use the available water wisely, sparingly and in a more conservative manner as every drop of water counts during this trying period in our country and the world as we are faced with fighting COVID-19, especially as South Africa is a water scarce country,” said the department in a statement.
As people wash their hands, appeals the department, “let us be more water savvy so that every individual has access to water as a source of life”.
“Let us make every drop count in the fight against this pandemic,” said spokesman Themba Khoza.
(edited by ZK)
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