The Department of Water and Sanitation has affirmed its commitment to implementing long-term measures to ensure water security for all.

“We are committed to carry out our mandate of ensuring water provision for all households in the country. This is as we prepare to hear priority areas which will be tabled by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu next week Tuesday, 25 May 2021, as she will deliver the 2021/22 Budget Vote for the department in Parliament,” department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said.

In a statement on Thursday, Ratau said the budget will consist of long-term projects that need to be implemented in KwaZulu-Natal, some of which will bring immediate relief to communities, especially those experiencing the dire effects of drought.

While the department continues implementing projects in different parts of the province, it has called on consumers to report water leaks and infrastructure vandalism to their local authorities.

The provincial department has also reiterated its plea to consumers to use water sparingly, as dam levels in the province experienced a minimal decline this week.

The provincial storage capacity has declined from 74.0% to 73.8%. Comparative to a similar period last year, dam levels stood at 63.6%.

However, the department said the decline was not a cause for concern as the province’s main water supply system, the Umgeni Water Supply System, was considerably steady at 85.9% from last week’s 86.1%.

Meanwhile, some dams within the System have similarly remained above average this week, compared to the previous week and last year.

“Midmar Dam is at 100.1%, from 100.4%. Nagle Dam is slightly down from 90.7% to 90.4%. Albert-Falls has remained unchanged at last week’s 56.0%. Inanda and Spring Grove Dams have recorded 99.3% and 100.5% respectively,” the department said. –SAnews.gov.za