Dry conditions have impacted especially hard on the Vhembe region where the water level at the local dams including the recently built multi-million-rand dam of Nandoni continue to drop.

Most of the residents who depend on boreholes at their homes for water are now left with no supply at all as they depend solely on a few government-provided taps that provide water for only a few hours each day.

“I was surviving this drought because of the borehole I have at home. But these days whether you have a borehole or not you will still struggle because there is no water underground. My borehole has dried up completely. I do not know how we will survive if it does not rain anytime soon,” said Amis Mulaudzi, a resident of Mpheni village, near Louis Trichard. Mpheni is just one of the many villages in Vhembe experiencing water supply challenges.

Disaster area

Last year Limpopo province was declared a disaster area due to the continuous drought which has become a burden to the residents.

My borehole has dried up completely. I do not know how we will survive if it does not rain anytime soon.

“If it doesn’t rain soon we are going to starve to death as there is no water. Even the rivers which we used to depend on for water to wash our clothes, and water our small gardens has dried up and we only get water from government taps for few hours a month, and we cannot blame them as there is no water inside the dams,” said Portia Muthavhine, a resident of Waterval village, near Louis Trichard.

Livestock dying

Drought in Limpopo is also affecting local farmers as their livestock has been dying. It has also left many residents living in fear, not knowing what will happen to them in the coming months if it does not rain.

The spokesperson for the Vhembe District Municipality, Matodzi Ralushai said authorities were doing everything within their power to make sure that they supply water to all the people during this time of drought. He also encouraged the residents to use water sparingly.

An edited version of this story appeared on Health24.com.