The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, Mr Leon Basson, has noted with concern reports of the collapse of retention walls at the Riverlands Dam.
"The collapse of the Riverlands dam wall is symptomatic of shortcomings regarding dam safety across the board. It is necessary for the Department of Water and Sanitation to enhance their monitoring capabilities to ensure adequate safety standards for its own dams and enhance monitoring of private dams to ensure that the safety of people downstream is not threatened," Mr Basson said.
Following a meeting held on 1 November 2022, the committee raised concerns with the department about the lack of capacity within the Dam Safety and Management Division. The committee highlighted that this lack of capacity negatively impacts on the ability of the department to enforce Chapter 12 in National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998 (s117 - s123). It also increases exponentially the risk factor for communities residing downstream of dams and requires immediate action from the department.
The committee then sharply raised concerns about the cumulative total backlog of 474 dam safety evaluation (DSE) reports from the department. The backlog in evaluating the DSE reports implies that the department is unaware of the safety conditions of 474 dams and is unable to recommend interventions or conduct dam safety compliance monitoring inspections to monitor compliance with recommendations.
"It is important that these dam safety evaluation reports are concluded to enhance the safety of communities. The committee will in the near future request the department to provide an update on eradicating the identified backlog of dam safety evaluation reports," Mr Basson said.
The Chairperson has also called on the Department of Water and Sanitation to dispatch a team to do an analysis of the walls at the dam, especially in the context of the impending cold front that might lead to further precipitation. The Chairperson has also called on sister government departments and non-governmental organisations to assist affected communities.
