Giyani and its surrounding areas are experiencing a serious shortage of water, and emergency measures will have to be taken to ensure the supply of this necessary commodity to residents over both the short and long term. According to Mayor Doris Mathebula, the only sources of water in the area are the Nsami and Klein Letaba dams. “But the problem is that the two dams are almost empty now," she said. The matter has been brought to the attention of the National Department of Water Affairs. The water problem has resulted in the Nkhensani hospital in Giyani re-scheduling medical operations. The hospital has been without a proper water supply for the past four months. The spokesperson for the Department of Health in Limpopo, Selby Makgotho, says the water crisis at the hospital was exacerbated by the malfunctioning of boreholes in the yard. Water Affairs Minister Boyelwa Sonjica said during 2008 that the Department of Water Affairs had undertaken a review of the water supply to Giyani from the Middle Letaba Dam. She said the situation indicated that the supply within Giyani was unreliable, due to operational constraints as well as insufficient long-term measures to secure the supply. The Middle Letaba Dam is just below 6%, and the Nsami Dam below 3%. This situation requires urgent and decisive action. “Our department has also been working with the Mopani District Municipality to plan and implement emergency actions. We have instituted measures to improve the water supply from groundwater sources by drilling, testing, and equipping boreholes in the vicinity of Giyani. We have also taken measures to utilise the ´dead water storage´ in the Middle Letaba Dam. The ´dead water storage´ means the water that would ordinarily be left in the dam and not drawn out, in order to preserve aquatic life in the dam. "In this crisis, we would like to access this water to alleviate shortages in Giyani. We have to use this water sparingly. We have to use the water to simply buy us time whilst we secure more reliable sources over both the medium and long term. We shall be implementing water restrictions on both agricultural users along the canal that links the Middle Letaba Dam to Giyani and domestic users,” she said. She added: "We would not like to see the department and municipalities having to take drastic enforcement measures such as arresting users who do not adhere to the restrictions. We have commissioned several measures to secure the medium-term water supply by securing the treated water supply from the Nandoni Dam using existing pipelines, and upgrading the supply from other sources. This intervention involves reversing the flow of the water in the pipelines linking the Mapuve water works with Mudabula reservoir in the Malamulele West area. This measure will also involve the construction of a new pipeline which links Mapuve to Giyani," she further highlighted. She said it was estimated that this measure would be completed by the end of the year. "We are finalising plans to link the Nandoni Dam to the Giyani system. We will also review the possible link of the future Nwamitwa Dam, on the Groot Letaba River, near Tzaneen, to the Giyani area. These measures will ensure that the various parts of the province are inter-linked in order to allow the transfer of water from one basin to the next in times of crisis. Our department has resolved that the Mopani District (Greater Giyani) area is a drought-stricken area," said Sonjica. "We have estimated the need for R250 million to resolve the short- and long-term crisis," she said.