Riversands has once again been subject to flooding as a fourth dam wall breached as a result of work carried out by the Department of Water and Sanitation. The latest dam breach follows an earlier flood in the area due to extreme rainfall in the Western Cape.
Swartland Municipality made the decision to evacuate Riverlands residents living north of the Riverlands Primary School, following the flash flood. The municipality says they are currently caring for 128 affected residents across two community centres, and while there are no reported deaths many residents are being treated for shock in a local clinic. Gift of the Givers is also on-site providing aid.
Damage resulting from the fourth dam breach in Riversands (image courtesy of Gift of the Givers)
Investigation into the first dam failures
The Department of Water and Sanitation is investigating the situation that led to the original three dam failures on August 8th 2024, Minister Pemmy Majodina says, “The departmental engineers have been granted an extra week to conduct a diligent and adequate investigation into what led to the failure of three farm dams located in Riverlands town in Swartland Local Municipality.” The first three failures have caused “severe property and infrastructure damage to the affected area and The Department of Water and Sanitation is committed to conducting its regulatory function diligently and depending on the outcomes of the investigation, those responsible for the failure of the three dams will be held accountable” says the department. The retention and update were announced on August 16th but two days later a fourth breach resulted in residents screaming to warn others of the incoming flood. The community, already affected by the earlier flooding, were reportedly terrified of the latest breach.
Frustration brews
The Swartland Municipality says that the latest flooding is a direct result of the Department of Water and Sanitation working on the fourth dam against its wishes. In a statement to the media, Swartland said, “The municipality’s proposal was to leave the fourth dam and do any necessary work in the summer when drier conditions will have worked in our favour. The department specialists on site, however, had decided to lower the dam level further via the newly dug spillway, which triggered the unexpectedly fast release of water, “resulting in the coming down of the river once again, following the path it carved last week”.
The department’s spokesperson Andile Tshona refutes this saying, “We do nothing alone. We are working with the municipality, the City of Cape Town and the provincial government. We are there as a regulator to ensure that the dams are safe. We have joint meetings that sit every day at 11 o’clock with the municipality and we also advise so all the implementations are discussed at the meeting.” DWS also states that the draining of the dam, while causing a flash flood, was necessary to reduce the risk of a total breach as seen in the earlier dam flooding incidents.
In a statement DWS says that the fourth dam has been normalised and poses no further risk to the community, adding, “We wish to assure the residents of Riverlands in Swartlands Local Municipality that the situation is normal in the area and there is no need for evacuation.” Humanitarian aid
The community is being helped by humanitarian organisations like Gift of the Givers (image courtesy of Gift of the Givers)
The latest flooding resulted in many residents being unable to return home, and the municipality is helping 128 residents across two community centres. This is compounded by the earlier disaster that affected 444 people. Gift of the Givers, the municipality, and the Lucky Lucy Foundation are both on the ground helping the community.
