The department of water & sanitation is monitoring the Vaal Dam daily as the water level is at nearly 90%.
Water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina said the dam's sluice gates were up to standard and they would only release water from the dam according to their standards.
She said if water needed to be released from the dam to ensure a normal level the department would inform affected communities.
“We cannot allow the dam to overflow again. It can cause a disaster, and that dam is not going to collapse. We have checked through our dam safety. We are still intact, but when we are about to release water to ensure that we have a normal level, we are going to inform the community that they must not be scared when they see a lot of water coming out,” she said.
Majodina inspected the Eikenhof pump station on Saturday during a ministerial oversight visit. Her visit coincided with the launch of national water month, commemorated in South Africa annually during March.
She inspected the pump station, which underwent major maintenance in December, along with deputy ministers David Mahlobo and Sello Seitlholo, Gauteng infrastructure and Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo, premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.
“We are here at this Eikenhof water pumping station because it takes care of more than 60% of citizens of Johannesburg. It was important for us to be here today because if you don't have the Eikenhof pump station up and running and working with City Power, then you will have a problem.
“We are turning the situation around and ensuring that people are accessing water in Gauteng,” Majodina said.
She added the department would have released water into the Vaal dam from the Sterkfontein dam if the level had fallen below 18% but it was not necessary as the level had risen after the recent heavy rains.
“When everybody was making noise to say we won't have water, I said calm down. I am still saying the country must not panic. We have water, but we must use water sparingly. We must attend to non-revenue water.”
Lesufi added that the province had long stopped the blame game and was working with the local, provincial and national governments and government agencies.
He said the intervention was working.
“To come here and to do an oversight is an affirmation that if we get this station right, the majority of our problems are over. It is not the only station, but this is the key one to assist the people of Gauteng. If we get this right, as the minister said, 60% of our problems are resolved,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Water and sanitation department monitoring Vaal Dam as water level surges to 90%
Journalist
Image: Thulani Mbele
The department of water & sanitation is monitoring the Vaal Dam daily as the water level is at nearly 90%.
Water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina said the dam's sluice gates were up to standard and they would only release water from the dam according to their standards.
She said if water needed to be released from the dam to ensure a normal level the department would inform affected communities.
“We cannot allow the dam to overflow again. It can cause a disaster, and that dam is not going to collapse. We have checked through our dam safety. We are still intact, but when we are about to release water to ensure that we have a normal level, we are going to inform the community that they must not be scared when they see a lot of water coming out,” she said.
Majodina inspected the Eikenhof pump station on Saturday during a ministerial oversight visit. Her visit coincided with the launch of national water month, commemorated in South Africa annually during March.
She inspected the pump station, which underwent major maintenance in December, along with deputy ministers David Mahlobo and Sello Seitlholo, Gauteng infrastructure and Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo, premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.
“We are here at this Eikenhof water pumping station because it takes care of more than 60% of citizens of Johannesburg. It was important for us to be here today because if you don't have the Eikenhof pump station up and running and working with City Power, then you will have a problem.
“We are turning the situation around and ensuring that people are accessing water in Gauteng,” Majodina said.
She added the department would have released water into the Vaal dam from the Sterkfontein dam if the level had fallen below 18% but it was not necessary as the level had risen after the recent heavy rains.
“When everybody was making noise to say we won't have water, I said calm down. I am still saying the country must not panic. We have water, but we must use water sparingly. We must attend to non-revenue water.”
Lesufi added that the province had long stopped the blame game and was working with the local, provincial and national governments and government agencies.
He said the intervention was working.
“To come here and to do an oversight is an affirmation that if we get this station right, the majority of our problems are over. It is not the only station, but this is the key one to assist the people of Gauteng. If we get this right, as the minister said, 60% of our problems are resolved,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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