South Africa9 provinces · DWS official data

Reservoir Watch

Storage levels across 218 dams in 9 provinces. Weekly data from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

Average fill

95.8%

Total capacity

29 km³

Dams tracked

218

Critical

Fill by province

Click a province to explore

Loading map…

Status:Critical (<20%)Low (20–40%)Normal / High (>40%)

South Africa at a glance

National average fill

95.8%

28,083 of 29,330 Mm³ stored

Dams

218

Provinces

Total capacity

29.3 km³

Volume stored

28.1 km³

Critical

Source: Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Weekly State of Dams report — ~218 dams representing ~90%+ of South Africa's managed water storage. Last reading: 2026-08-31. How South Africa's dam levels are measured and reported.

National fill — multi-year

By province

Sorted by capacity

Free State

21 dams

Average fill

100.4%

15,722 Mm³ storedView →

KwaZulu-Natal

19 dams

Average fill

86.3%

4,240 Mm³ storedView →

Mpumalanga

22 dams

Average fill

98.4%

2,498 Mm³ storedView →

Western Cape

44 dams

1 critical

Average fill

79.8%

1,490 Mm³ storedView →

Eastern Cape

44 dams

1 critical

Average fill

89.1%

1,526 Mm³ storedView →

Limpopo

29 dams

Average fill

98.5%

1,462 Mm³ storedView →

North West

28 dams

Average fill

102.4%

888 Mm³ storedView →

Northern Cape

6 dams

1 critical

Average fill

86.7%

130 Mm³ storedView →

Gauteng

5 dams

Average fill

98.1%

126 Mm³ storedView →

All dams

Click a pin to explore

Loading map…

Dataset coverage

90%of national storage capacity has public data

Tracked

218

reservoirs

With data

217

reservoirs

Tracked capacity

29,330

hm³

Source: DWS — Department of Water and Sanitation (South Africa)

Covers reservoirs monitored by the DWS national dam safety and hydrology programme.

About reservoirs in South Africa

As of August 31, 2026, the reservoirs we track across South Africa that report live levels hold roughly 28,083 Mm³ of water — about 95.8% of their combined capacity. Taken together, South Africa's reservoirs are high.

Across the region, 1 reservoir is at critically low levels. Klerkskraal Dam is the fullest at 111.3%, while Klipheuwel Dam is the lowest at 18.1%.

Over the most recent week on record, 5 reservoirs rose and 20 reservoirs fell across South Africa.

Storage figures for South Africa come from DWS; the most recent reading is from August 31, 2026. Each reservoir below links to its own page with full history and seasonal context.

South Africa at a glance

Reservoirs tracked: 218
Average fill: 95.8%
Water stored: 28,083 Mm³
Combined capacity: 29,330 Mm³
At critically low levels: 1
Fullest: Klerkskraal Dam (111.3%)
Lowest: Klipheuwel Dam (18.1%)
Last updated: August 31, 2026