What a difference a week makes. After Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality — the metropolitan area surrounding Port Elizabeth — last week reported dam levels just below the 18% mark, that number has more than doubled this week.
A weather system which passed through the area this past weekend, which brought snow to areas of the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape’s high mountains, also dropped considerable rainfall over the Municipality.
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24 hour #Rainfall measured at 8:00 this morning. @ReenvalSA pic.twitter.com/7CfsuDSopK
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) September 7, 2018
As a result, Nelson Mandela Bay’s dam levels are now at 39.9% full. The Churchill Dam in particular is now 90.5% full, filling up more than 65%.
This is an endorsement of what God does when we pray earnestly to him in request and thanks. The Churchill dam is almost full and still the water is streaming in to the dam. pic.twitter.com/ZKpiTcK3Zt
— Athol Trollip (@AtholT) September 9, 2018
Yes, the situation remains critical, but it does explain just how much influence a single weekend can have on the scope of a water crisis.
Snow was still visible across the mountains near Graaf-Reinet and Cradock this week, so expect these levels to creep a bit higher before next week’s report.
Sneeu op die berge tussen #GraaffReinet en #Cradock.
: Alexis Basson @SAWeatherServic @eNCAWeather @JoelGuy_ @venter_annette pic.twitter.com/ykUcgX79CI — ReenvalSA (@ReenvalSA) September 10, 2018
Feature image: Churchill Dam, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
