Umgeni Water spokesman Shami Harichunder said Albert Falls Dam was the only dam in serious trouble, sitting at 20% capacity.

"This is a storage dam that releases water into Nagle Dam which services about 60% of the Durban area. Fortunately, Nagle Dam is sitting at 65 percent," said Harichunder.

He said dams reached dead storage at 10%

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"At present we are pumping water from Midmar Dam - which is at 85% - into Albert Falls Dam.

"If there is no rain and the high temperatures continue, Albert Falls could run dry in a year's time. However, rains are predicted for next month," he said.

However South African Weather Services forecaster Wisani Maluleke said the best summer rains had fallen between October and December and less and less frequent rain was expected over the next few months.

“This is normal and expected for the province,” he said.

It is not just a good quantity of rain that is needed but rain also has to fall in dam catchment areas.

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Msawakhe Mayisela, spokesman for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, said while we had good rains in the past few months, it did not automatically mean the end of the water scarcity.

“We are only left with a couple of months before the dry winter season so we need more and more rain but not along the coast, we need it in the catchment areas. If it does not rain as expected we might have a problem in KZN going forward.”

He said the province should not consider itself out of the woods regarding water scarcity and water preservation needed to be practiced in all areas of the province.

Mayiselsa said around the province, the uMkhanyakude, Mzinyathi, Thukela and Harry Gwala districts suffered the most due to the drought and were still on the receiving end.

“Our failure to recognise the importance of this scarce resource will create a dangerous state of affairs,” he said.

Latest dam figures from Umgeni Water:

Albert Falls Dam 20.55%
Inanda Dam 63.31%
Mearns Dam 114.04%
Midmar Dam 85.54%
Nagle Dam 74.37 %
Spring Grove Dam 77.84 %
Hazelmere Dam 60.19%
Henley Dam 84.69 %
Ixopo Dam 103.78%
E.J.Smith Dam 98.85 %
Nungwane Dam 100.58 %
Umzinto Dam 100.28%

Source: The Mercury