Two more Vaal Dam sluice gates were opened on Monday, bringing to four the number of open gates at the country's sixth biggest dam.
The decision to open the gates comes in the wake of heavy rains in recent weeks during which the dam's capacity topped 108%.
“This decision has been taken as the water and sanitation department continues to monitor the high inflows affecting the Integrated Vaal river System (IVRS) and thus the Vaal Dam as one of the 14 dams in the system,” said department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau.
He warned farmers and communities downstream of the dam “to move their equipment away from the expected heavy flows”.
People should not take chances crossing low-lying bridges that may become flooded.
The department would monitor the weather and inflows into the system, Ratau added.
The four sluice gates would remain open as long as necessary.
- This article has been corrected to state the dam is SA's sixth-biggest, not second, as erroneously stated in the previous copy. We regret the error.
TimesLIVE
More sluice gates opened at Vaal Dam to ease water pressure
Image: Ossewa/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Two more Vaal Dam sluice gates were opened on Monday, bringing to four the number of open gates at the country's sixth biggest dam.
The decision to open the gates comes in the wake of heavy rains in recent weeks during which the dam's capacity topped 108%.
“This decision has been taken as the water and sanitation department continues to monitor the high inflows affecting the Integrated Vaal river System (IVRS) and thus the Vaal Dam as one of the 14 dams in the system,” said department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau.
He warned farmers and communities downstream of the dam “to move their equipment away from the expected heavy flows”.
People should not take chances crossing low-lying bridges that may become flooded.
The department would monitor the weather and inflows into the system, Ratau added.
The four sluice gates would remain open as long as necessary.
- This article has been corrected to state the dam is SA's sixth-biggest, not second, as erroneously stated in the previous copy. We regret the error.
TimesLIVE
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