The heavens have opened up in recent weeks and South Africa together with most of her neighbours have received significant amounts of rainfall.
This has seen several rivers in the country flowing again and the dams filling up.
Tropical Cyclone Eloise, which brought heavy storms to the country through Mozambique, also spread to Swaziland and Botswana, among others.
Most of our major dams are now at full capacity thanks to the tropical storms that dropped tonnes of rain.
Most of the rivers have also recorded improved flows compared to the same time last year.
Our dams are built in such a way that they can withstand the capacity of water they are designed to hold.
Several dams are now spilling, which means they are holding more water than their normal capacity.
Their design and construction allows them to spill when they reach a certain level.
This is meant to minimise the pressure applied on the dam wall by the increasing volume of water.
This action is important to ensure dam safety.
The spillage also has an impact on the watercourse downstream.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) closely monitors dam capacities and river flows in real time.
This is important to ensure all water infrastructure continues to operate optimally without disrupting services or posing a danger to the surrounding communities.
Should the need arise, the DWS works with relevant stakeholders to issue warnings in advance to those that could be affected by rising water levels.
The DWS, on behalf of the state, is closely watching all developments and changes around water infrastructure and the ecosystems.
- Marcus Monyakeni is a communications specialist at the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Free State office.