By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has opened two more flood gates at Vaal Dam as part of department’s continuous dam safety precautions.
This brings the total to 12 floodgates that are opened in the province.
The gates make it possible to pre-emptively release water from reservoirs rapidly and there by opening more space to store proportions or entire volume of potentially destructive flood peaks.
The two gates were opened on Saturday, according to the department.
“At Bloemhof Dam, outflow was increased to 2400 cubic metres per second by this afternoon,” Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said.
The department warned that high water levels and possible flooding are anticipated at the town of Douglas in the Northern Cape, at the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers, due to releases from the Vanderkloof and Bloemhof Dams, and residents have been urged to be alert and may need to evacuate where necessary to avoid harm or the loss of lives.
“With the continuing heavy rains in large parts of the country, many rivers are overflowing, and most dams are full and spilling over. The Vaal and Orange River system is also experiencing rapidly rising water levels and has necessitated the opening of the gates to safeguard the infrastructure from collapsing,” added Mavasa.
Several incidents of flooding have been reported across the country over the weekend, affecting hundreds of people.