Water levels rising – dept

WITH rising water levels at the Vaal Dam prompting officials to consider opening a further sluice gate to ease capacity, local communities downstream of the river in the Northern Cape are closely watching the outflow from the Bloemhof Dam with bated breath.

The opening of a further sluice gate on the Vaal Dam will increase the flow of water into the Vaal River and the danger of flooding downstream.

The acting director-general of the Department of Water Affairs (DWA), Trevor Balzer, confirmed yesterday that the department was considering opening the eighth gate at the Vaal Dam.

The gates were already discharging more than 940 cubic metres into the Vaal River and the opening of another gate could burst the riverbanks, Balzer said.

He said the Bloemhof Dam, which is situated downstream of the Vaal River, was at 80 percent capacity and climbing rapidly and emergency services had been warned about flooding.

The department has meanwhile warned the public of possible severe flooding in the central, northern and eastern parts of the country, which have been receiving persistent rains over the past two weeks.

“The soils are already very wet and many dams are full,” a spokesman said.

“This means that continued rain is going to cause very rapid increase in river levels and possibly cause flooding.

“A quick increase in river levels will also be encouraged by releases from major dams when gates are opened in order to ensure the safety of the dams.”

He added that this situation was already happening in the Orange-Vaal River System.

“The Grootdraai and Vaal dams are full and the Bloemhof Dam is rising quickly. Substantial amounts of water are being released and the public living near major river and those crossing low level bridges downstream of the dams are warned to exercise caution.”

According to the department, communication was ongoing between the DWA and Disaster Management Centres to ensure that warnings are disseminated promptly.

“The public will continue to be informed if and when more water is going to pass through the storage dams and the expected river flow levels, especially along the Vaal River. Flows levels into Vaal dam from the Vaal leg are very high and continue to show an increasing trend. The Vaal Dam was yesterday approximately 105 percent full with seven gates opened.

Outflow from Vaal Dam had risen by lunchtime yesterday to 904 cumecs (cubic metres per second) and, with an inflow of 1 211 cumecs.

The inflow into the Bloemhof Dam was around 900 cumecs yesterday afternoon and the level of the dam was rising rapidly. The outflow is still pegged at 400 cumecs but this is subject to change.

Meanwhile, disaster was narrowly avoided yesterday morning when a truck almost tipped off a bridge onto traffic on the N12 near Edenvale.

On Monday, e-tolling critics said alternative routes were deteriorating and potholes were increasing as people tried to avoid the toll roads.

Gauteng residents were likely to see more rain until at least Friday, said Elizabeth Webster of Weather SA.