{"id":139975,"date":"2016-10-13T16:40:18","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T14:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=139975"},"modified":"2016-10-13T16:40:18","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T14:40:18","slug":"shocking-pictures-show-just-how-empty-the-vaal-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/139975\/shocking-pictures-show-just-how-empty-the-vaal-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Shocking pictures show just how empty the Vaal is"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social media users have uploaded images of the Vaal Dam, showing how desperately empty the water source has become during\u00a0the country’s driest year in over a century<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to the department of water, dam levels, nationally, were at 51% as of September 26, compared with 70% at\u00a0the same time last year.<\/p>\n

The Vaal Dam, which supplies water to economic hub Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria among other areas, was at 30% capacity in early October, with the\u00a0department expecting capacity to fall to 25% by mid-November if there is no reduction in water consumption.<\/p>\n

Faced with severe water shortages, municipalities in Gauteng have implemented water restrictions, with residents in the province\u00a0left with 28.2% of water levels at Vaal Dam.<\/p>\n

\"vaal-dam-levels\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If the Vaal Dam system drops below 20% the tale out pumping points will be\u00a0compromised, Joburg Water has warned.<\/p>\n

The country is in dire need of rainfall, with at least some forecast over the next few weeks – however, the South African Weather Service has warned that hot and dry conditions are likely to persist until the end of the year.<\/p>\n

The images below have been uploaded to hundreds of Facebook pages, such as Geologica Day by Day<\/a>, showing the shockingly low water levels of the Vaal.<\/p>\n

\"vaal-dam-05\"<\/a> \"vaal-dam-04\"<\/a> \"vaal-dam-03\"<\/a> \"vaal-dam-02\"<\/a> \"vaal-dam-01\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This drone footage, uploaded by YouTube user Anees Dadabhay<\/a>\u00a0shows aerial footage of the dam from 9 October.<\/p>\n