DWS urges dam owners to register facilities
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina vowed the government would take action against dam owners who have not registered their facilities, and those structures are found to have caused a disaster and loss of life.
Majodina was conducting an oversight visit at the dam on Wednesday.
Her remarks come as five sluice gates were opened at the Vaal dam to allow easy management of water levels.
Currently, the Vaal Dam is releasing 793 cubic metres per second (mᵌ/s) of water downstream into the Vaal River System and the Bloemhof Dam.
The adjustments were necessary to manage the sustained high inflows and ensure safe operation of the dam.
Addressing the media Majodina said notices have been issued to dam owners to ensure safety measures are in place.
READ: Owners given 60-day deadline to register dams
"If you are found that you have not registered your dam and that dam causes a mess and costs life and infrastructure, then we are going to act on the owner of the dam.
"There are departments that own dams, and we have already issued notices that they must ensure that there are safety measures in place in their dams."
Meanwhile, DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said to manage the rising levels of water at the Bloemhof Dam, five radial gates remain open.
"Three of the gates are fully opened and two are partially opened at different metres. The Bloemhof dam has 20 radial gates that are operated differently from that of the Vaal Dam but are used to effectively manage water levels at Bloemhof Dam," said Mavasa.
According to Mavasa, the Vaal Dam continues to rise with water levels at 112.85% and 1 248.11 mᵌ/s inflows from the upper catchment.
ALSO READ:
