Education and Tourism Correspondent

WHILE SA is in the grip of one of the worst droughts in 10 years, Gauteng residents can breathe a sigh of relief for the rest of the festive season as they will not face water restrictions for now.

Rand Water gave assurances yesterday that there was no need for panic as Gauteng had enough water supply to last for up to three years.

"The Vaal Dam is currently 48% full and the Sterkfontein Dam is 98% full," said Rand Water spokesman Karl Lobout.

However, this does not mean that restrictions for Gauteng were not expected, especially as six of SA's drought-ravaged provinces are facing a serious water crisis. Taps are expected to run dry in Mpumalanga in the next two weeks.

Lobout warned that Gauteng residents should use water for drinking and cooking and not for gardening .

The warning comes as national disaster management authorities put the provinces with the exception of Gauteng, North West and Western Cape on high alert, with water levels in dams and rivers being closely monitored.

Yesterday, emergency water supplies were being relayed to more than 3-million people across the country, as forecasters predicted that the dry spell would continue into the new year.

The South African Weather Bureau said that although rain brought some respite last week, forecasts for the next two months showed there was only a 20% chance of a wet season.

SA's desperate fight for water was highlighted recently in a World BankWorld Wide Fund report, which projected that water resources in the major cities, particularly Johannesburg, would be exhausted by 2020.