The department of water & sanitation (DWS) on Tuesday said it was investigating the integrity of the privately-owned Tiryvillle Dam near Kariega in the Eastern Cape after reports of the dam being at risk of failure due to the recent flash floods.
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality this week relocated about 200 families residing at Lapland informal settlement about 850m downstream of the dam as a precautionary measure.
The department said it had dispatched a team of engineers to assess the condition of the dam and was in continuous engagement with the municipality.
“The DWS engineers are assessing the structure of the irrigation dam in line with dam safety protocols and will advise on any measures to be taken,” spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said.
The department established the dam was a concrete structure which ideally should be able to cope with water flowing over the dam wall.
“However, due to a lack of historic information on the condition of the dam, it is prudent to treat the dam as a possible high risk and to take measures to safeguard the lives of the communities living downstream of the dam.”
The department said details of the owner of the dam were not known because the dam was not registered as a dam with a safety risk with the DWS dam safety office.
Meanwhile, at least two people — a baby girl and a man — died in floods in the Eastern Cape at the weekend.
Seventy people were rescued in 55 rescue operations throughout the province.
TimesLIVE
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