The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry this week imposed restrictions on the use of water in Limpopo, after a long spell of drought.
The province received little rainfall during the summer season.
”We have approached the dry season and we have gone a month [May] without a drop of rain. This situation has put our water resources in severe strain,” said water affairs spokesperson Avhashoni Magada.
”Groundwater levels have gone down and many of our borehole water schemes are running low.”
The department says the volumes and flows of dams and rivers in the province are low.
”Indications are that we are facing drought even though it has not yet been officially pronounced.”
The hardest-hit dams in the region include Klaserie, Ohrigstad, Glen Alpine, Tzaneen and Magoebaskloof.
The levels of some of the dams have dropped from about 80% last year to just under 10% this year.
In April the Mail & Guardian reported on the severity of the drought, which has left water resources thin and hundreds of thousands of cattle dead in many parts of the province.
”The situation cannot be reversed, but the risk can be managed to ensure adequate water supply during these extreme circumstances,” said Magada.
The drought situation has left the department with no choice but to impose restrictions to control limited water.
Among the restrictions that the department has put in place are:
The use of buckets and not hoses to wash cars;
Watering of gardens on selected days, using buckets and not hose-pipes; and
Rationing of water on a daily basis to specific areas for specific periods.
People have been urged to report burst pipes, pipe leaks and vandalism to the department or local munici-palities, as well as violations of the proposed control measures.
Magada said the control measures would be kept in effect until the situation improved.
”The department will be assessing the situation on a regular basis to determine the appropriate actions to remedy the situation,” he said.