You’ve heard and read about the drought in South Africa for months, yet you’ve probably also experienced some rain, in most placed in the country anyways. However, if the country is receiving adequate rainfall in all different parts of the country, then why are we struggling to get by with the water that we have.
Well, the biggest problem certain regions in the country are experiencing, is the fact that most water delivered to the earth in the form of rain, never reaches the dams. Instead, water is running more into river systems than dams, and sometimes, it isn’t captured whatsoever.
Escalating Water Issues in Certain Parts of the Country
Entering the end of the second week in December 2019, the Vaal Dam is only 40% full, which is not adequate to sustain its surrounding region during the summer months which have just started.
Even though the country has received record-breaking rainfall in 2019, which has also resulted in a lot of flooding in Gauteng, there are certain parts where the dams haven’t acquired one inch of water.
In the surrounding area, the rain has continued to pour into river systems from the popular Vaal Dam, downstream. It has now dropped below 40% in the past two weeks. Rain in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, as well as Gauteng, has not had much impact on rectifying the current drought. Little to no catchments have been reported.
Regardless of a lack of catchment in these regions, Pretoria, however, has received over 200mm of rain, while Johannesburg received 120mm, East Rand 144mm for the same period. Hartbeespoort Dam also received 220mm. Videos were showcased of the dam overflowing as the dam reached over 96% capacity. A few dams in Limpopo have also seen slight increases.
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