The outflow at the Bloemhof Dam had rapidly increased to 3 800 cubic metres per second by Wednesday, according to the Department of Water and Sanitation.
In a statement, the department said it has been maintaining the outflow of 3 200 cubic metres per second at the dam since Sunday.
Leonardo Manus, department’s acting deputy director-general for water infrastructure, said water levels at the Bloemhof Dam are too high and need to be lowered.
“We will not be reducing the outflow by closing the gates, because the dam level is still too high and needs to be lowered quickly to open more flood-absorption capacity,” Manus said.
“The water outflow will be reviewed in [the next] few days, as it will be determined by the inflow into the river system, but as of now, the water levels are still high and the water discharge from the dam will continue.”
Meanwhile, 12 sluice gates at the Vaal Dam remain open to allow water levels to reach the dam’s required capacity. The Vaal Dam is currently at 119% full.
On Thursday, the department confirmed that the sluice gates remain open and that the outflow at the Bloemhof Dam will be kept at 3 800 cubic metres per second.
“The water levels at Vaal Dam are decreasing. Water levels coming into the Bloemhof Dam have also stopped increasing,” the department said.
“At the lower Orange and lower Vaal rivers, the flow has not peaked yet and the farmers and communities along that river system should expect water levels to rise in the next few days.”
The department warned communities who are in close proximity to stay vigilant, evacuate whenever it is necessary, and never return to flooded areas until water levels have dropped.
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