NELSON Mandela Bay’s dam levels have dropped to 38.63% as of 1 April 2026. With 8.99% of this classified as dead storage, the metro is left with only 29.64% of usable water.
This is no longer an early warning: it is a crisis unfolding in real time.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that 63% of water losses in the metro are unaccounted for, making Nelson Mandela Bay the highest water-losing metro in the country. With usable dam levels now hovering below the 30% mark, any room for delay or complacency has effectively run out.
Denise van Huyssteen, Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, said the scale of the water management crisis demands immediate and practical action.
“The reality is stark: we are running out of water and the system is failing to safeguard what remains. Businesses cannot afford to wait for ideal conditions or perfect policy responses,” she said.
“This is an emergency. We need the municipality to take urgent action to rein in the water losses by addressing infrastructure backlogs such as fixing leaks, proactively maintaining the reticulation system, dealing with meter tampering and incorrect billing issues and properly securing pump-stations to prevent vandalism.”
The business chamber is calling on companies to take decisive steps within their control.
Suggestions include:
– fixing leaks on company premises without delay;
– reducing water consumption;
– investing in reuse and recycling measures;
– adopting a school to support water-saving initiatives and awareness; and
– putting back-up water systems in place.
Residents are urged to reduce consumption, eliminate household leaks and use water as sparingly and efficiently as possible.
“Water resilience must be treated with the same urgency as energy security. Every litre saved today helps to extend the viability of our city tomorrow,” Van Huyssteen said.
Without urgent intervention by all water users, the metro risks moving rapidly towards severe water shedding events, the business chamber warns. This would have significant consequences for the local economy and would place additional strain on already vulnerable communities.
Through its relaunched “Adopt a School” initiative, 35 schools and one clinic have been adopted by local businesses. Such interventions help to curb leaks, protect critical infrastructure and strengthen resilience from the ground up, but far greater scale and urgency are now required.
