Authorities race to avert Barberton dam disaster

Residents have been urged to evacuate downstream of Senteeko Dam in Mpumalanga

- Sheree Bega

Preventative measures: Senteeo Dam, which is a privately-owned dam, is located near Barberton in Mpumalanga. The spillway channel slab is slightly suspended. Photo: DWS

(DWS)

The department of water and sanitation is assessing and monitoring the Senteeko Dam in Barberton, which is at risk of failure, “to avert disaster”.

On Wednesday, spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said the department had been notified that a privately-owned dam, located near Barberton in Mpumalanga under the City of Mbombela local municipality, had been reported to be at risk of failure.

My Own Dam, publicly referred to as Senteeko Dam, is registered with the department’s dam safety office as a 26m-high medium size dam, with a storage capacity of 1.8 million cubic metres. It is owned by the Shamile communal property association and used for irrigation.

An evacuation alert from the GCIS Mpumalanga’s provincial office warned that residents and businesses downstream of Senteeko Dam (Barberton-Kaapsehoop) “must evacuate immediately due to imminent risk of dam wall failure, which could release 1.82 million cubic metres of water into the Suidkaap area”.