Dam levels rise after strong rains

WIDESPREAD rains over most of Namibia have pushed up the levels of all of the country’s largest storage dams over the past week.

The dams supplying water to Windhoek now hold more water than they did a year ago, while the water level in Namibia’s largest dam, the Hardap Dam near Mariental, is close to what it was this time last year.According to NamWater, the level of the Hardap Dam, which was 53,3 per cent full at the start of last week, had risen to 82,9 per cent on Monday this week. Water was released from the dam until its sluice gates were closed yesterday morning, when the dam’s level had been decreased to 68 per cent of its capacity.To reduce the risks of floods hitting Mariental if the Hardap Dam receives huge inflows of water, NamWater aims to limit the dam’s level to no more than 70 per cent of its 294,5 million cubic metres capacity. A year ago, the Hardap Dam was 70,2 per cent full.The Naute Dam near Keetmanshoop, with a capacity of 83,5 million cubic metres, was full at this time last year, and was again full at the start of this week. At the start of last week, the Naute Dam was still 94,2 per cent full.The level of the largest reservoir supplying water to Windhoek, the Swakoppoort Dam near Okahandja, rose from 70,9 per cent of its 63,49 million cubic metre capacity last week Monday to 88,9 per cent of its capacity at the start of this week. A year ago, the Swakoppoort Dam was 91,3 per cent full.The Von Bach Dam was 79,9 per cent full a year ago, compared to its level of 51,6 per cent on Monday. A week ago, this dam was still 37,9 per cent full.The level of Windhoek’s third major water reservoir, the Omatako Dam, doubled over the past week. Having been 36,3 per cent full on Monday last week, its level had risen to 77,8 per cent by Monday this week. A year ago this dam was 28 per cent full.The combined level of Windhoek’s reservoirs was 74 per cent of capacity on Monday, compared to 70,5 per cent a year ago.Other dam levels reported by NamWater on Monday, with the levels a year ago in brackets, are Goreangab Dam at 101,8 per cent (100,8 per cent), Friedenau at 55,5 per cent (65,7 per cent), Oanob Dam at 68,2 per cent (81 per cent), Otjivero Main Dam at 43,1 per cent (61,1 per cent), Tilda Viljoen Dam at 16,4 per cent (69,8 per cent), Daan Viljoen Dam at 1,9 per cent (4,2 per cent), Dreihuk Dam at 2,2 per cent (2,1 per cent), and Bondels Dam at 1,3 per cent (1,4 per cent).The Omaruru Delta Dam was empty on Monday – the same state it was in a year ago.