Water levels rising in six dams

THE Hardap Dam near Mariental and the three dams supplying Windhoek and the central part of Namibia with water have received substantial inflows over the past week, the Namibia Water Corporation reported today.

The Hardap Dam, where irrigation farmers have been facing the prospect of having their supply of water from the dam cut because of its low level, has received an inflow of more than 14 million cubic metres of water from Monday until Friday morning, NamWater reported in an update on the country’s dam levels.

The Hardap Dam’s level stood at 6,5% of its storage capacity on Monday morning. By Friday morning at 08h00, the dam’s level had risen to 11,3%, and it was still recording an inflow at a rate of 68,8 cubic metres of water a second.

The level of the Von Bach Dam near Okahandja, which is one of the main storage dams supplying water to Windhoek and Okahandja, rose from 38,8% of its capacity on Monday to 68,6% on Friday morning. The Von Bach Dam received inflows of 14,2 million cubic metres of water since Monday, and more water was still flowing into the dam on Friday morning, NamWater reported.

The Swakoppoort Dam, which is another major water source for Windhoek and the central part of Namibia, had an inflow of more than 12,2 million cubic metres of water since Monday, raising its level from 4,8% on Monday to 24% on Friday morning.

Swakoppoort was still receiving more water on Friday morning, as was the Omatako Dam. Omatako’s level stood at 18% on Monday, and had risen to 23,2% on Friday morning, after total inflows of 2,2 million cubic metres.

The Von Bach, Swakoppoort and Omatako dams received combined inflows of 28,7 million cubic metres from Monday to Friday morning, bringing the three dams’ combined contents to 58 million cubic metres of water. A year ago, the three dams’ combined contents were 35,8 million cubic metres of water.

Inflows into the Oanob Dam near Rehoboth increased its level from 46,8% on Monday to 47,2% by Friday morning.

The Otjivero Main Dam east of Windhoek also received an inflow of water during this week, raising its level from 8,8% on Monday to 9% on Friday morning.

A year ago, the Hardap Dam was 29,6% full, Swakoppoort’s level stood at 19,5%, Von Bach was at 48,8%, Omatako at 0,6%, Oanob at 54,5% and the Otjivero Main Dam at 4,4%.