NamWater opens Hardap Dam sluices

HARDAP Dam became the first in the country to have its sluices opened yesterday after its water level touched 68% of capacity.

With dam levels across the country having risen significantly over the past two weeks, the Mariental Town Council’s CEO, Paul Nghiwilepo, yesterday said NamWater had ordered that the Hardap Dam’s sluices be opened at a rate of 200 cubic metres per second.

He said 300 cubic metres of water was flowing into the dam per second, and that they might increase the outflow to 400 cubic metres per second.

With the current water inflow, the dam level is expected to increase to 73%. Yet NamWater wants to keep the level at 70% to minimise the risk of Mariental being flooded.

Nghiwilepo has ruled out any flood risk when the water reaches the Fish River, as the current outflow of 200 cubic metres per second does not pose any risk.

A study compiled by the department of water affairs after the Hardap Dam was built in 1962 indicated that reeds could have an impact on water flow in the Fish River.

The first flooding of the southern town occurred in 1972 when the Hardap Dam sluices were opened fully. Floods again hit in 1974, 1976, 2000 and 2006.

According to NamWater’s latest weekly dam bulletin, released yesterday, dam levels across the country are showing substantial increases compared to the same period last year.

The Von Bach Dam was yesterday recorded as 42,8% full (21,5% last year), the Omatako Dam 31,5% (6,5% a year ago), Oanob 64,5% (37,3% last year), Hardap 67,9% (45,6% last year), Naute 94,4% (95,9% a year ago), and Goreangab 101,3% (99,3% last year).

The Swakoppoort Dam was 12,1% full yesterday, compared to 14,5% a year ago.

The Von Bach, Swakoppoort and Omatako dams, which supply water to Windhoek, held a combined 42,2 million cubic metres of water yesterday. On Monday last week the three dams were holding a combined 25 million cubic metres of water. A year ago, the three dams together were storing about 22,4 million cubic metres of water.

In northern Namibia, the Olushandja Dam’s level was recorded at 29,1% yesterday, compared to 26,1% a year ago.

The head of national hydrological services at the agriculture ministry, Pauline Mufeti, said yesterday that the low pressure system over the weekend contributed to expected flooding in the western Cuvelai area, covering and moving southwards from Outapi.