Local News
Residents below Bloemhof Dam may need to evacuate─── SABRINA SABRINA 13:38 Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Sabrina Dean
Bloemhof - Communities living near the Vaal River downstream from the Bloemhof Dam are likely to face evacuation if water levels continue rising.
Water Affairs Acting Director General Trevor Balzer says Bloemhof Dam is expected to reach 100% capacity by around lunchtime tomorrow.
He add the outflow will probably be increased to 700 cubic metres per second.
Balzer says they are trying to minimize flooding along the Vaal but cannot allow the Bloemhof Dam level to go above 107 % as this will cause infrastructure damage.
He says the water released from Bloemhof thus far has now reached the confluence with the Orange River at Douglas.
He says the Gariep and Van der Kloof Dams are also likely to start overflowing over the weekend.
Trevor Balzer :
