KwaZulu-Natal's prayers for rain have been answered, but the prolonged drought is far from over. The authorities asked people in the province yesterday to continue saving water as one night of rain was not enough to break the current drought.Umgeni Water spokesman Shami Harichunder said: "Rainfall over the past 24 hours will have the effect of increasing flow into the uTongathi River, making it possible for Umgeni Water to increase its extraction from that river for transfer into Hazelmere Dam."In order for any significant change to occur to the current level of the Hazelmere Da, rainfall for a prolonged period has to occur in the Hazelmere Dam catchment, which is the Kranskop, Wartburg and Greytown areas."Restrictions and rationing on water use will have to remain in place," he said.Without more rain soon the Hazelmere Dam, a major source of supply in the eThekwini and iLembe municipalities, will run dry by next month.Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube yesterday said the drought remained severe."We need weeks and weeks of sustained rainfall to replenish our reservoirs to return to levels considered safe and sustainable."We urge the public not to become complacent amid the recent rain showers and continue to conserve water to ensure that the current reserves last longer."The recent rainfall may give the false impression that the worst of the current drought is over, but the impact of the current drought has been so severe that all this rainfall is insufficient," said Dube-Ncube.The severity of the drought forced the Kwazulu-Natal government to ration water last month by halving consumption and introducing a daily quota system in the worst hit areas.Harding Dam's water level is 15% and other water sources in the Umzinwabantu Local Municipality are so distressed that KwaMbotho and KwaNyusawa have no water.Emergency measures are being implemented in the Umfolozi River system and boreholes have been drilled as taps run dry in Umtubatuba and other parts of the Umkhanyakude district...