Urgent Interventions To Address Water Scarcity – Minister Sisulu

Riyaz Patel

The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has announced urgent measures to address water challenges in identified areas across the country where dam levels have dropped alarmingly.

Minister Lindiwe Sisulu Sisulu said the interventions will include completing the construction of water projects, the refurbishment of dysfunctional boreholes in drought-stricken areas, assigning a team of specialists for rapid intervention in identified areas and addressing dysfunctional water works.

The move follows the department’s latest dam level report, which indicated that some of the country’s water reservoirs are losing 1% of stored water week-on-week.

According to the same report, levels have dropped 10% – from 73.3% last year to 60% this week.

The department said projections are that the high temperatures will persist until the end of the summer period next year.

In addition, South Africa is forecast to experience below-average rainfall between October and mid December 2019, and along