​SA News
The Department of Water and Sanitation has urged Gauteng users to reduce water usage to a bare minimum as the Vaal Dam continues to be constrained and dam levels decline week-on-week.
The department warned that the drop in dam levels could spell a serious situation if water consumers do not heed the call to use water cautiously during this dry, winter season.
"The levels of the Vaal Dam are reaching critical levels week-on-week and this requires everyone to save water as much as possible," said the department in a statement.
The department stressed the importance of responding timeously to leaks and wastages to minimise losses.  
A major dam in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), the Vaal Dam dipped to even lower levels this week when it declined from last week's 43.4% to 42.6%.
This, according to the department, indicates that the dam has been hovering under stress for some time, a situation which is now worsened by the dry winter season.
The Grootdraai Dam continues to stand firm at 81.4%. This is, however, down from the 82.4% at which it stood last week. Both these levels are healthier when compared to the 66.8% the dam was at during the same period last year.
For a third consecutive week at 93.9%, the Sterkfontein Dam located in Free State sits in a strong position. During the same week last year, the dam levels were at 92.4%
The Bloemhof Dam, which is firmly at 99.5%, has seen an upswing this week as it increased from 99.3% last week and looks set to rise to the full capacity of 101.4% it saw last year at the same time.
The Mohale Dam in Lesotho presently sits at 8.0%, recording a fall from last week's levels of 8.5%. The dam has been at a concerning state ever since last year during the same week when it was at 33.2%
With its levels slipping further down weekly, the Katse Dam, which is also located in Lesotho, is in dire straits this week. The dam declined from 31.6% last week to 31.0% this week. If the levels of the dam are anything to go by, it looks set to remain in a critical state for some time to come.
The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) declined from 63.7% last week to the present 63.3%. The system remains lower when compared to the 69.5% at which it stood at the same period in the preceding year. The IVRS consists of 14 dams that are vital to a number of provinces.