Last of five sluice gates closed at Vaal river dam

“This is testimony to the fact that the department adheres to the highest safety standards when carrying out work such as this,” Ratau said.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Pretoria | Updated: 05-03-2021 15:12 IST | Created: 05-03-2021 15:12 IST
Last of five sluice gates closed at Vaal river dam
The three gates were opened on 11 February and the other two on 12 February 2021 to raise the outflows out of the dam following rapid increases in its levels to above 100%. Image Credit: Wikipedia
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The Department of Water and Sanitation has closed the last of the five sluice gates that were opened at the Vaal Dam following the desired reduction in water inflows into the dam.

The three gates were opened on 11 February and the other two on 12 February 2021 to raise the outflows out of the dam following rapid increases in its levels to above 100%.

Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the closure of the last gate on Thursday follows a decision by the Vaal Orange River System (VORS) Extreme Flood Management Committee, which has been monitoring the dam on a daily basis. 

“The assessment by the VORS this morning determined that sufficient water outflow from the Vaal Dam is taking place to allow the closure of the fifth and last gate. The other four gates were closed over the last two weeks, guided by the dam’s levels, as well as the amounts of inflows and outflows,” said Ratau in a statement on Thursday.

He said the department is pleased that the release of the water has taken place safely with no incidents of flooding or damage to property being reported.

“This is testimony to the fact that the department adheres to the highest safety standards when carrying out work such as this,” Ratau said.

The sluice gates were previously opened in 2017, 2015 and 2012. 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)

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