Alarm over low rivers in Kruger Park

Warning bells are sounding in the Kruger National Park, where levels of major rivers such as the Crocodile, Olifants and Letaba are “alarmingly” low. “It is now the end of summer and these rivers are supposed to be flowing well,” said head of the park’s conservation services department, Dr Freek Venter. Instead, the rivers are flowing at the rates at which they normally flow after winter, in September or October. He urged consumers who draw water from the rivers upstream, like farmers, sugar companies and municipalities, to use water more sparingly. “Water usage outside the boundaries of Kruger has a significant effect on what happens when the rivers eventually reach Kruger,” he said. He said an example of good cooperation among all water users in a river system was found downstream of the Nyaka Dam. Acertain amount of the water available in this system was allocated to the Sabie and Sand Rivers, which eventually flowed into the Kruger National Park. “The Dam is a classic win-win situation and we would hope that similar agreements can be made with other water users,” Dr Venter said. – African Eye News Service