The Blyderivierpoort Dam floodgate overflowed over the weekend for the first time in 2 years bringing much relief to the area.
Blyderivierpoort Dam is a gravity-arch dam on the Blyde River, in the lower Blyde River Canyon, near Hoedspruit in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its key purpose is to provide a stable water supply for irrigators of the Blyde River Irrigation district and to provide additional water for mining and industry at Phalaborwa.
The ongoing drought in South Africa was clearly showing its impact and severity on the levels of dams in Mpumalanga. Last year October the Department of Water and Sanitation released that the Blyderivierpoort Dam/Blyde River was sitting at 41.8% compared to 81.6% the year before (in 2015)
On the 5 January 2017, Jan and Hannetjie Lister posted a photo showing that the Dam wall gate was still bone-dry.
But the rains over the weekend in the area have changed the landscape vastly with water flowing over the dam wall gate. Storm Report South Africa posted photos sent in by Chris Heunis, on Sunday.
Water restrictions are still in place and must still be implemented in all provinces. According to Sputnik Ratau, spokesperson, Director Media Liaison and Content Development at the Department of Sanitation and Water, the country is presently still in a drought situation.
The rain we’re experiencing is only a marginal relief from the drought and could only continue until April 2017.
When the rainy stops we could find ourselves in a worse off condition if water saving strategies don’t become every South Africans daily habit.
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