Shongweni Dam: Residents living downstream of dams warned to be vigilant

Residents living downstream of the Vaal, Bloemhof and Hazelmere dams have been warned to be vigilant after the opening of some of the dams’ sluice gates this week.

The department of water & sanitation said the recent downpours had led to the opening of five sluice gates in the Vaal Dam on Wednesday.

Three sluice gates had been opened on Tuesday due to the huge amount of inflows as a result of the recent rains.

“The fourth gate opened at 9.30am while the fifth opened just after midday,” the department said.

Its hydrology experts also recommended the release of water from the Bloemhof Dam.

The department said after the devastation caused by rain in KwaZulu-Natal, a decision was also reached for Umgeni Water to release water from the Hazelmere Dam, to the north of Durban.

“We continue to call on communities to steer clear of the dam as the outflow continues to surge. We will continue to monitor the situation and update the public as and when the information comes,” spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said.

The department refuted news that Shongweni Dam, west of Pinetown, in KwaZulu-Natal, had collapsed.

It said two of the 10 gates that have fused are designed to fail during extreme floods.

#KZNFloods | The Department would like to assure people that Shongweni Dam has not collapsed. Two of the ten gates that have fused are designed to fail during extreme floods. This is a safety measure not dam failure.@Senzo_Mchunu_ pic.twitter.com/IKAyGKwL75

— Water&SanitationRSA (@DWS_RSA) April 13, 2022