The Water and Sanitation Department has ordered that two more sluice gates at the already full Vaal Dam be opened after recent good rains. The department says it is continuing to monitor the impact on the integrated Vaal River System.
The Vaal Dam is one of 14 dams in the system.
Spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau says, “At the moment the inflows into the dam are at the 565 cubic metres per second, and the outflow is much higher at the 689 cubic metres per second. We are hoping that we will be able to get the level of the dam further down.”
Ratau has warned the community downstream from the Vaal Dam about the rising water levels.
“What we have been doing ever since the dam really rose to those levels as we were preparing the initial opening of the sluice gates was to communicate with the communities, downstream at the dam to alert them that they may be opening the gates and therefore there will be an experience of higher levels within the Vaal River Barrage and Bloemhof Dam. What we are saying to them is that is to be cautious of the rise of the river and be vigilant with whatever activities they do around there.”
Concern that recent heavy rains will cause flooding along SA’s major dams:
