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- Dam levels have increased rapidly in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, with the fourth dam well on its way to reaching 100%.
- The metro has been caught in the grip of a crippling drought for the past eight years.
- However, the Department of Water and Sanitation has not yet confirmed the drought has been broken.
For the first time since 2015, drought-stricken Nelson Mandela Bay can breathe a sigh of relief: three of its five dams have reached 100% capacity.
Apart from the full Churchill Dam and smaller Loerie and Groendal balancing dams, the metro's largest supply dam, the Kouga, is well on its way in following suit, measuring at 99.3% on Friday afternoon.
It is expected the Kouga will overflow by Friday evening.
The metro has been in the tight grip of a crippling drought for the past eight years.
This time last year, nearing the end of the drought seemed virtually impossible, but following heavy rain over the past week, dams filled up fast.
According to the Gamtoos Irrigation Board, in only five hours, five million cubic metres of water ran into the Kouga.
READ | Nelson Mandela Bay is in control of its own water again – though closely watched by national govt
This is nearly twice the volume of the Loerie Dam.
Although another major dam supplying water to the metro, the Impofu, stands at just more than 20%, it is still a win for the metro since this dam was empty last month.
For this dam to start filling up, the Churchill Dam had to overflow first. There is now a steady flow of water from the Churchill to the Impofu.
The spokesperson of the Gqeberha branch of the South African Weather Service, Garth Sampson, said while dam levels were spectacular, the official announcement of the drought being over must come from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
"We received more than 150mm in one catchment area at the weekend, more than I expected would fall, but we must still remain cautious," he added.
Sampson said the department should consider relaxing the water restrictions imposed on the metro as soon as the combined dam levels reached a minimum of 65%.
The current combined dam level stands at 69%.
"My take is that we should never lift restrictions, even if we reach 110%. Water is too precious, and we must flatten the curve," he added.
However, the department has remained mum on any talks of the drought being broken or restrictions in the metro being lifted.
READ | Nelson Mandela Bay dam levels slowly on the rise, but over-consumption still an issue
In a statement released on Friday, it said there had been a marginal increase in the Algoa Water Supply System, leading to a major increase in dam levels in Nelson Mandela Bay.
"The Algoa Water Supply System is at 49.8%, after struggling for over two years, which affected water supply in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
"When compared to a similar period last year, the system recorded a low 19% as a result of the dire effects of drought," the statement read.
"The increase on the system, which mainly supplies water to dams located in Nelson Mandela Bay, is attributed to the recent showers experienced over the past weekend and extending into the week," it added.
