New standards set for water accountability

SENTEEKO DAM

- DAVID MAHLOBO

EXCAVATIONS continue at the Senteeko Dam in Mpumalanga, as the emergency spillway channel is being expanded to reduce the dam's capacity. I GCIS

(GCIS)

AS A GOVERNMENT, our primary responsibility is to protect people, livelihoods, and the environment.

That duty guided our response to the Senteeko Dam in Mpumalanga, where recent heavy rainfall weakened the structure and necessitated immediate action to reduce the risk to downstream communities.

Engineers and disaster teams have been working around the clock to widen an emergency spillway, lower water levels, and closely monitor the integrity of the dam. These efforts remain ongoing because the risk has not yet passed. Government remains on site and on alert until it does.

Standing at Senteeko Dam today, one sees heavy machinery, technical expertise, and, most importantly, human concern. Farmers worry about their crops and irrigation systems. Officials assess how water would move should the dam fail, and disaster teams engage directly with families living downstream on preparedness measures, including evacuation protocols if required.

While no densely populated towns lie along the projected flood path and no cross-border impacts are anticipated, the presence of farming communities in this corridor makes our responsibility real and immediate.