Nelson Mandela Bay dams: Water levels have almost tripled in September

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.