According to Gideon Treurnicht, director civil services, the Lomati Dam is currently 101% full. The Shiyalongubo Dam outside Barberton, used for irrigation is also filled to capacity. 

Other dams in the Lowveld region are less than 50% full and effected consumers will have to use water sparingly.
Umjindi residents have no need to worry, as there will be sufficient to supply the town throughout the winter months, Treurnicht told the Barberton Times.

Sufficient rain has fallen in the Barberton area. In the catchment area of the Lomati Dam a total of 489 mm rain fell since the beginning of January. 

In town 444 mm rain was measured from January to March 24.
‘One of the main reasons Barberton has no shortage is the local authority’s responsible management of available water resources’, Treurnicht said.

Water made available for consumption is controlled by a computer system which regulates the amount of water in the service reservoir. When the water level is below 80%, the valve in the Saddleback tunnel, which channels the water from the dam to the reservoir, automatically opens. By using the computer system, only water used by consumers are made available and no water is wasted, Treurnicht said.

During National Water week Ms B. Sonjica, minister or water affairs and forestry, urged local authorities to promote efficient water use. South Africa has a chronic shortage and is one of the 30 driest countries on earth.

She said we all had a responsibility to conserve our water resources.