An exceptional turnaround for the Nelson Mandela Bay dams has left locals jumping for joy, after months of tension and fear left the metro starting down the barrel of a day zero crisis.
The NMB Council have revealed that their dam levels now stand at 49.41%. Rewind back to the end of August, and that number was a miserly 17.4%. The two-week recovery – all down to the biblical rain that fell within the first week of September – has seen water levels increase nearly three-fold.
Nelson Mandela Bay dams: Water levels for September 2018
Nowhere is that recovery more impressive than at Churchill dam. The parched facility was languishing at just 16% full a fortnight ago. Now, it’s officially broken the 100% mark.
Another astounding feat is the bouncebackability shown by the Kouga dam. When water levels at the facility dropped below the 7% mark, there was plenty to fear. Residents of the nearby towns of Hankey and Patensie were put onto a strict water shedding schedule, where they went without water for 16 hours a day.
However, Kouga is now more than 45% full, almost matching the combined average. The Impofu dam – the largest reverse servicing NMB – also climbed up a few percentage points to 34.3%.
?NELSON MANDELA BAY DAMS UPDATE?
– Dam levels are currently at 49.41%.
– Water levels have increased by 9.5% in the last week.
– The Churchill Dam was only 15% full just over a month ago but is now at 100%.
Image: @NMandelaBay @ReenvalSA @HeraldPE @WMO #portelizabeth #RSA #PE pic.twitter.com/ZPY3pagvr2— AfricaWeather (@AfricaWeather_) September 18, 2018
Eastern Cape dam levels
The Department of Water and sanitation has welcomed the rains, which have resulted in some dams supplying the metro with significant increases. As a province, the Eastern Cape sits on 65% exactly. NMB will be hoping for at least one more big storm, to catch up to the rest of the state.
Article source: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/nelson-mandela-bay-dams-water-levels-september-2018/
