The weekend rains in the drought-stricken western part of the Eastern Cape has brought relief to Nelson Mandela Bay and Gamtoos Valley, where five citrus towns were fast approaching Day Zero.
Following constant rains over the weekend, local communities, including farmers in Jeffery’s Bay, Oyster Bay, Kouga, Port Elizabeth, Kouga, Patensie, Hankey and Humansdorp can breathe a deep sigh of relief at the prospect of having drinking water at their doorstep.
Tragically, a Nelson Mandela Bay man died from the floods during the heavy storms.
A weekly report by the Department of Water and Sanitation paints a prosperous picture of the state of water in the western part of the province. See also the graphic of PE Dam Levels here.
As a result of the incessant rains over the weekend, water levels at Kouga Dam rose from a mere 6.8% two weeks ago to a whopping 30.9% this week.
“The state of water has generally improved in areas that were hitherto depressed from the acute shortage of water,” the department said.
Loerie Dam went up from 81.2% to 90.2%, whilst Umtata remains the same as last week at 99.7% and Nahoon decreased from 70.4% to 70.0%.
The department has welcomed the rains which has resulted in some dams supplying the metro experiencing significant increases.
However, the department has maintained that water restrictions will remain in place, and has asked residents to continue to save water.
Alan Straton
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