VAAL DAM – Screams, shouts, and sirens filled the air on Thursday, April 25, as ten massive sluice gates were opened at the Vaal Dam.
This has sent panic to the community living on the river banks as flood waves rush downstream on several rivers, leaving numerous residents already impacted.
Scores of locals from riverside towns such as Barrage, Deneysville, Oranjeville, and Three Rivers gathered at the Vaal Dam bridge to witness the breathtaking yet terrifying moment the gates gave way.
The Department of Water and Sanitation confirmed the move was necessary due to dangerously high dam levels after relentless rainfall, but for riverbank dwellers, it’s nothing short of a nightmare.
“There are potential plans to further increase outflows from both dams tomorrow. One sluice gate remains opened at Grootdraai Dam, and the storage capacity is at 105.71%, with inflows of 141.72 m³/s. In the Orange River, the Gariep and the Vandekloof Dams are currently sitting at 107.13% and 105.3% respectively and overspilling,” the department said in a statement on Thursday.
A total of ten gates are already opened, with water levels now reaching a critical 118.48% capacity.
As a looming headache, some areas are experiencing overflooding, plunging residents into more fear.
In Three Rivers, bridges such as those that pass over Klip River are already being shut down as waters swell beyond safe levels.
Emergency officials are on high alert, as reports flood in of riverside homes preparing for possible evacuations.
While Fishermen continued with their daily activities despite the alert for evacuation, boat owners were seen hauling their boats out of the water and kept them at safe spots such as the Bon Hotel parking.
This is a developing story.
