A dog walks by a car damaged by the recent floods in Riverlands, in the Swartland district, on 8 August 2024. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP)
- Some Riverlands residents have returned to their homes after a flash flood over the weekend.
- The area first flooded earlier this month, when three dams burst their banks.
- The Department of Water and Sanitation said the latest high water levels were linked to the draining of a fourth dam, which has now been emptied, and water levels are expected to subside.
Riverlands residents have settled into a “new normal” following a flash flood at the weekend.
The area first flooded earlier this month, when three dams burst their banks.
The Swartland Local Municipality said the “situation on the ground has stabilised and residents have settled back into what has become a new normal for them”.
Residents were evacuated on Saturday following a flash flood that was directly connected to work the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) was doing at the fourth dam on Dassenberg Farm, which belongs to the national government.
No injuries or fatalities were reported, however, several residents were treated for shock at Riverlands Clinic.
Residents were able to return to their homes late on Saturday afternoon and no damage to infrastructure was reported.
“Swartland Municipality is currently caring for 128 residents spread across two community centres. Residents are receiving food, shelter, clothing and other aid. The Swartland Municipality Community Development Department has also been working with SASSA [the South African Social Security Agency] and the Department of Home Affairs to assist residents who have lost all essential paperwork. Aid and assistance are also given to residents who have returned to their homes and have suffered severe losses,” the municipality said in a statement.
It added that the DWS had confirmed that the dam on Dassenberg Farm had been drained and posed no further risk.
“Residents are, however, asked to be cautions of rivers and streams, especially when it rains, as water will continue to flow along this route, although not in such intense volumes. We ask that residents please make sure that basic water safety is maintained,” the municipality said.
In a statement, the DWS said “the situation is normal in the area and there is no need for evacuation”.
“On Saturday, water started flowing quicker than expected through the spillway that was created to minimise the risk of failure of the fourth dam, [which] was on the verge of failure after three dams breached on Wednesday, 7 August 2024, in Riverlands,” the DWS said.
“The department mobilised its personnel located in the Clanwilliam Dam project to open up the spillway on the fourth dam further and allow the water level in the dam to drop by at least 1 metre per day. This morning, water started flowing quicker than expected. As a result, there was understandably concern from community members.”
The DWS assured said water levels in the river should begin to subside now that the dam is empty.
“Should there be any further heavy rainfall, the dam would not store water to threaten the stability of the partially failed wall,” DWS said.
