Water restrictions down to 30% for iLembe
Water restrictions for iLembe residents have been relaxed - from 50% to 30% - after dam levels showed improvement.
|||Durban - Water restrictions for iLembe residents have been relaxed - from 50% to 30% - after dam levels showed improvement.
Umgeni Water corporate stakeholder manager Shami Harichunder told The Mercury that the Hazelmere Dam level was at 44% on Wednesday, leading to the move.
Just six months ago the dam had dropped to a worrying 25% of its capacity.
Harichunder said there had been a slight recovery in the level of the dam over the past month after some rainfall and the transfer of water into it from the uThongathi River through an emergency scheme.
“A decision was taken at a meeting of the multi-stakeholder Joint Operations Committee on April 15 for Umgeni Water to make a small amount of additional water available to iLembe District Municipality, eThekwini Metro and Sembcorp Siza Water.”
What this means, he said, was that the current water restrictions of 50% in the supply areas would be temporarily reduced to a mandatory 30% in terms of restrictions.
“The situation will be reviewed every fortnight and if 30% water curtailment is found to be impacting negatively on the level of Hazelmere Dam, this could result in a situation in which restrictions will go up to 40% or even 50% to stabilise the level.”
He urged all water users within the Hazelmere system to continue to use water sparingly.
He said rainfall predictions for the next four months, as provided by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, remained unchanged.
“They suggest the below-average rainfall pattern will continue until the end of August 2016.”
The upper Mgeni system, which comprises Mearns Dam (28.52%), Spring Grove Dam (83.39%), and Midmar Dam (45.83%), was still being monitored.
“Although the level of Spring Grove Dam is high, this is a small dam, when compared to Midmar, and its water resources deplete quickly as it fills up.
“To stabilise the level of Midmar Dam, water is being transferred from Mearns and Spring Grove dams into Lions River, from where it makes its way into Midmar Dam.”
The lower part of the same system - comprising Albert Falls Dam (34%), Nagle Dam (83.37%) and Inanda Dam (78%) - remained of “great concern”, Harichunder said.
“We have begun reducing potable water production by 5% below benchmark at its water treatment plants, and the municipalities that receive water from this system are applying mandatory water curtailment of 15%.”
On the South Coast, the Mzinto system - made up of Umzinto Dam (99.58%), EJÂSmith Dam (98%) and Nungwane Dam (100%) - was currently in good shape.
“But they are small when compared to other dams in our operational area, and are depleted as quickly as they fill up.”
The Ixopo system, made up of the Ixopo Dam (46%), had been stabilised as a result of water transfer into it through an emergency scheme.
“Mandatory water restrictions of 50% remain in place,” Harichunder said.
The Mercury