Dam · KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa · DWS
Pongolapoort Dam
83.2% full
Total capacity
2,395 hm³
River
Pongola
Basin
Pongola-Mtamvuna
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS
Coordinates
27.383°S, 31.967°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
83.2%vs 7 days ago
-0.2 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
-10.0 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
→stable
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Near normal
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Pongolapoort Dam had rain close to normal for the season. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index −0.04). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
Dam height
63 m
Year built
1973
Dam type
Gravity
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. 27.383°S, 31.967°E · Open in Google Maps
About Pongolapoort Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Pongolapoort Dam is filled to 83.2% of its total capacity, holding 1,993 hm³ of water out of a maximum 2,395 hm³. At this level the reservoir is high.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has held broadly steady (-0.2 pp), and it is 10.0 points below its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Pongolapoort Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 82.4% (September 21, 2026) to a high of 93.2% (October 19, 2025). On average the reservoir is fullest around May and at its lowest around September.
The dam at Pongolapoort Dam stands 63 m tall and is a gravity dam and was completed in 1973. It is operated by DWS primarily for water supply. It lies within the Pongola-Mtamvuna basin at 27.383°S, 31.967°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 83.2% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 1,993 hm³
- Total capacity
- 2,395 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 0.2 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▼ 10.0 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Pongola
- River basin
- Pongola-Mtamvuna
- Dam height
- 63 m
- Year completed
- 1973
- Operator
- DWS
- Coordinates
- 27.383°S, 31.967°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 83.2% | 1,993 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 83.4% | 1,998 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 83.3% | 1,995 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 83.2% | 1,993 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 82.4% | 1,974 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 82.9% | 1,986 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 83.2% | 1,993 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 83.3% | 1,995 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 83.5% | 2,000 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 83.8% | 2,007 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 84.1% | 2,014 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 84.8% | 2,031 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.