Sluice gates open as dam levels reach new highs

“Most of the provinces have shown ongoing increases, with the exception being the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the western parts of the Northern Cape,” she said.

Mokonyane also said that the groundwater levels remained and would take a few years to recover.

“The exploration of groundwater in the Western Cape is quite minimal as we are trying to help with the refurbishment of some of the boreholes and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant,” she said.

Mokonyane said there was an opportunity to bring in the agricultural sector to deal with issues from irrigation to smart water usage.

For the Vaal Dam, it was estimated that the sluice gates would be open yesterday (Sunday) after the dam levels reached 95 percent by Friday. Grootdraai in Mpumalanga reached 103 percent while Bloemhof was at 81.7 percent.

Trevor Balzer, a Deputy Director-General in the department who deals with special and emergency projects, said the dam wall had 60 gates altogether. The minister yesterday opened gates 35 and 37.

Mokonyane said flood warnings have been given especially to those living below the flood lines near the Orange and Vaal Rivers.

“In general, the country’s drought outlook is looking up. Most dams and systems are showing recovery at different levels,” she said.