Dam · Eastern Cape · South Africa · DWS
Nqadu Dam
61.5% full
Total capacity
1.3 hm³
River
Nqadu River
Basin
Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS South Africa
Coordinates
31.405°S, 28.760°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
61.5%vs 7 days ago
-1.5 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
-23.2 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
↓falling
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Very wet
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Nqadu Dam had much more rain than normal, seen about one year in fifteen. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index +1.83). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
Data source
official
Storage data: Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Weekly State of Dams report, South Africa.
Catchment Weather
Past 30 days + 14-day forecast · Open-Meteo
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors. 31.405°S, 28.760°E · Open in Google Maps
About Nqadu Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Nqadu Dam is filled to 61.5% of its total capacity, holding 0.8 hm³ of water out of a maximum 1.3 hm³. At this level the reservoir is within its normal operating range.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 1.5 percentage points, and it is 23.2 points below its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Nqadu Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 58.1% (August 24, 2026) to a high of 84.7% (October 19, 2025). On average the reservoir is fullest around May and at its lowest around August.
It is operated by DWS South Africa primarily for water supply. It lies within the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma basin at 31.405°S, 28.760°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 61.5% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 0.8 hm³
- Total capacity
- 1.3 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 1.5 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▼ 23.2 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Nqadu River
- River basin
- Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma
- Operator
- DWS South Africa
- Coordinates
- 31.405°S, 28.760°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 61.5% | 0.8 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 63.0% | 0.8 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 62.7% | 0.8 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 61.9% | 0.8 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 58.6% | 0.8 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 59.1% | 0.8 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 58.1% | 0.7 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 60.6% | 0.8 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 60.5% | 0.8 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 60.4% | 0.8 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 60.4% | 0.8 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 66.2% | 0.8 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.