With more rainfall predicted in the Upper Vaal Catchment, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has reaffirmed its commitment to monitor inflow water levels in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) to ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place.
In a statement on Tuesday, the department said it is maintaining the current water outflow of 292.86 cubic metres per second (m3/s) at the Vaal Dam via two sluice gates, following the closure of the third sluice gate on 16 April 2025.
The department said the water inflow has also reduced from 277.63 m3/s to 229.71 m3/s, as of Tuesday morning, while the dam storage levels are currently sitting at 107.69%.
“The water releases at the Bloemhof Dam were also gradually reduced to 700.0 mᵌ/s on 15 April 2025 and further reduced to 500.0 m3/s on 18 April 2025. These adjustments are necessary to manage the continuous inflows and safe operation of the dam, which is at 106.91% today [Tuesday],” the department said.
The department added that two sluice gates of the Vaal Dam will remain opened to manage water outflows.
At Grootdraai Dam, all sluice gates have now been closed, and the storage capacity is at 104.90%, with inflows of 41.43 m³/s.
“The department will continue to monitor inflow water levels in the Integrated Vaal River System to ensure that the necessary precautions are in place, in line with dam safety standards and hydrological monitoring systems to safeguard infrastructure and attenuate any flood conditions,” the department said.
As part of dam safety protocols, sluice gates are opened for controlled water releases when dams breach the full capacity mark. This is to prevent the water resource infrastructure from failing, as it may lead to a dam bursting and causing a disaster of significant magnitude.
The department implements these necessary controlled water releases at the dams as part of dam safety precautions to safeguard the infrastructure and protect human life. – SAnews.gov.za
