A well-coordinated join operation between all spheres of government which includes local, provincial and national government has helped to avoid a catastrophic disaster.
According to Themba Gadebe, metro spokesperson, serious damage to the infrastructure following the caving in of part of the spillway at Middle Lake Dam during the end of December in Benoni could have cost lives.
“The mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni Mzwandile Masina moved swiftly to establish an inclusive joint operation after the city was alerted of an imminent danger of the dam,” said Gadebe.
“A call was received by Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services about the caving in of the spillway at the dam.
“In response a Joint Operations Committee was immediately established, which helped to prevent loss of lives and damage to properties downstream.
“The JOC is made up of experts from key departments in the City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, provincial and national Department of Water and Sanitation, and Rand Water.”
He said since the incident was reported, the JOC managed to divert the water at the onset, then moved on to deploy seven suction pumps into operation to reduce the dam level.
“The lowering of the dam level helped to avoid the complete collapse of the spillway thus leading to massive flooding. Secondly the lowering of the dam level assisted in allowing engineers access to the damaged slab for repairs.
“Following the lowering of the dam, the damaged concrete slab and compacting of the voids underneath the spillway will be removed. Whilst this is a temporary measure, it is expected that it will take a number of months to complete the refurbishment of the spillway.”
The mayor has pleaded for patience from all parties.
“This is a necessary operation to avert a major disaster. We are calling on people of Ekurhuleni to exercise caution and be patient. Once the siphon suction pumps are in place, road usage will resume”.
The mayor also asked members of the public to steer clear of the operational area, as this can pose danger to them and impede officials on site and disrupt operations.
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