![[File photo] Dam levels exceeded 100% following weeks of heavy rains across the region.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/SABC-News-Water-R-2.png)
The Department of Water and Sanitation has taken an urgent decision to release water from the Vaal Dam.
This comes after dam levels exceeded 100% following weeks of heavy rains across the region.
Persistent rains and a rush of water, brought by Tropical Cyclone Eloise in recent weeks, have pushed key dam levels higher across South Africa.
???FIRST PICTURES of the VAAL DAM at 100% FULL LATE MONDAY! Amazing recovery, considering that the dam was below 29% full just 3 months ago | ?Lydia van der Merwe pic.twitter.com/9FXPbl94g4
— Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) February 8, 2021
The department’s spokesperson Sputnik Ratau says at least three dam gates will be opened this morning as a weather system developing over the Mozambican channel is expected to bring more rain to the upper Vaal system.
“Therefore in order to protect the infrastructure and make sure that everything is moving according to plan in response to the heavy rains that have fallen over the last few days and weeks, the decision has been taken by the department’s hydrologists that we need to re-look at the management of the Vaal Dam by way of releasing water that would be too heavy for the infrastructure,” adds Ratau.
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The department says critical dams in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) are now 82% full.
At the same time last year, dam levels were below 65%.
Below is the statement from the department:
