Angolan waters flood Ruacana

THE flow of the Kunene River through the diversion weir at the Ruacana Hydro Power Station is slowing down but is expected to pick up again should more rain continue to fall in Angola.

Two of the five flap gates at the station have remained open for almost two weeks now – which is highly unusual, the superintendents of the station said on Friday. The gates – currently releasing about 810 cubic metres of water per second – were opened when the river flow measured nearly 1 400 cubic metres per second.On Friday, the river flow measured 952,6 cubic metres per second, down from 1 007 cubic metres per second the day before.Both scour gates remain closed at this time.The maintenance superintendent at the power station, Martin Tjipita, told The Namibian that it was a waiting game for staff monitoring the situation at the station since they had no information about the river flow-patterns inside Angola.Considering the uncertainty of the situation in Angola, Tjipita said, keeping the flap gates open for this length of time was also a precautionary measure.Ruacana also experienced sporadic thundershowers last week.It is expected that by next month, the river flow will have exceeded the highest average levels reached in recent years (1 300 cubic metres in 2001 and 1 400 cubic meters in 2002).The power station only requires a constant flow of about 140 cubic metres per second to drive its three turbines.The output of the three represents about 40 per cent of the country’s electricity consumption.At present, the Ruacana Falls are flowing strongly, as is the river downstream.The camping sites at the Hippo Pools are waterlogged but no incidents of major damage or loss of human life related to the strong river flow have been reported.The gates – currently releasing about 810 cubic metres of water per second – were opened when the river flow measured nearly 1 400 cubic metres per second. On Friday, the river flow measured 952,6 cubic metres per second, down from 1 007 cubic metres per second the day before. Both scour gates remain closed at this time. The maintenance superintendent at the power station, Martin Tjipita, told The Namibian that it was a waiting game for staff monitoring the situation at the station since they had no information about the river flow-patterns inside Angola. Considering the uncertainty of the situation in Angola, Tjipita said, keeping the flap gates open for this length of time was also a precautionary measure. Ruacana also experienced sporadic thundershowers last week. It is expected that by next month, the river flow will have exceeded the highest average levels reached in recent years (1 300 cubic metres in 2001 and 1 400 cubic meters in 2002). The power station only requires a constant flow of about 140 cubic metres per second to drive its three turbines. The output of the three represents about 40 per cent of the country’s electricity consumption. At present, the Ruacana Falls are flowing strongly, as is the river downstream. The camping sites at the Hippo Pools are waterlogged but no incidents of major damage or loss of human life related to the strong river flow have been reported.