Pretoria - The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) in the Western Cape region has called on residents to be cautious as dams, canals and reservoirs in the province are at full capacity due to the persistent heavy rains.
“The soil in the Western Cape is saturated due to high rainfall and will result in a high runoff, which could cause excessive flooding in low areas,” the department said.
Officials from the department have met with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) to discuss the disaster risks associated with the dams in the province. The average capacity of Western Cape dams is currently at 102.35% full.
The risk areas with a high possibility have been identified as:
- Eerster River system (Residential and Agricultural areas in the flood planes)
- The Lourens River at Somerset-West (low lying residential areas)
- The confluence of the Olifants and Doring Rivers downstream of the Clanwilliam dam close to Vredendal (Residential and Agricultural areas in the flood planes)
- Kingna and Keisies River (Montagu and surrounding areas)
- Berg River at the Paarl downstream of Berg River dam (Residential area in the flood plane of the river) and
- Wolwedans dam (Mitigation measures are to breach the Great Brak Estuary)
Officials said the region was currently on alert and closely observing the specific areas of concern. The level of dams is also under constant monitoring by means of real time monitoring systems.
Currently, the Berg River at Paarl is experiencing localised flooding, which is affecting nearby informal settlements. Members of the public are also reminded to contact our call centre on 0800 200 200 for reporting any water related emergencies and concerns. – SAnews.gov.za
