Two Vaal sluice gates closed, Bloemhof outflows reduced
As water levels at the Vaal and Bloemhof dams start to reduce, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has started reducing outflows at both dams.
Two sluice gates at the Vaal dam, which currently holds a water level of 110.71%, with inflows of 266.59 cubic metres per second (mᵌ/s), have been closed.
Water release at the Bloemhof dam, which had a water level of 99.62%, was gradually reduced from 1 100 mᵌ/s to 700 mᵌ/s. This followed staggered decreases on Monday from 1 700 mᵌ/s to 1 100 mᵌ/s.
On March 6, the DWS opened the first valves at the Vaal dam to release water to prevent overflowing. By April 6, five sluice gates had been opened amid ongoing rainfall. Water releases at Bloemhof dam had been increased simultaneously.
“The recent controlled water releases at both the dams have led to overtopping of riverbanks downstream, resulting in the flooding that has affected settlements that are in the lower-lying areas within the 1 in 100-year floodline,” the DWS said on Tuesday.
“People living within the floodline of the Vaal river downstream of the Vaal and Bloemhof dams and have evacuated, should continue to avoid the flooded areas as the river catchment remains oversaturated.”
The reduced outflows are necessary to manage the inflows, the safe operation of the dam and ensure that the water resource remains full.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
ESAB South Arica, the leading supplier of high-end welding and cutting products to the Southern African industrial market is based in...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
