The flood: How it happened

Friday (February 24) * Hardap Dam is at 82 per cent of its capacity.Sluices opened to discharge water at a rate of 500 cubic metres per second.

* Dabib and Aub rivers, both of which link up with the Fish River downstream of the dam, are also flowing and add to the water coming from the dam. * Rain continues to fall in the catchment area, resulting in a steady increase in inflow to the dam * NamWater warns Police, Regional Council, Municipality and farmers to evacuate residents in low-lying areas * NamWater increases the outflow from the dam to 1 000 cubic metres per second.* Heavy rain of 130 mm is reported overnight, which results in a rapid increase in inflow.The inflow peaks at 3 000 cubic metres per second and maintains levels of between 2 500 cubic metres per second and 3 000 cubic metres per second.* By 24h00 NamWater increases outflow to 3 000 cubic metres a second at regular intervals.* At that stage the dam level had risen to 110 per cent of its capacity.Saturday (February 25) * Inflow into the dam does not subside throughout the day following more rainfall in the catchment area * NamWater keeps the outflow from the dam at 3 000 cubic metres per second.* The inflow peaks at 4 000 cubic metres per second at night and NamWater increases the release rate to 3 500 cubic metres per second.Dam level reduced in the process.* NamWater says the additional 500 cubic metres per second that was released caused “negligible damage in the town compared to what had already been experienced”.Sunday (February 26) * The outflow rate is maintained at 3 000 cubic metres per second throughout the day while a steady inflow of 1 800 cubic metres per second is experienced.* Inflow starts subsiding in the evening and dam level goes down to 80 per cent in the early hours of Monday.Monday (February 27) * Floodgates are finally closed at 05h00.(NamWater released around 500 million cubic metres of water in three days).- Compiled by Christof Maletsky* Rain continues to fall in the catchment area, resulting in a steady increase in inflow to the dam * NamWater warns Police, Regional Council, Municipality and farmers to evacuate residents in low-lying areas * NamWater increases the outflow from the dam to 1 000 cubic metres per second.* Heavy rain of 130 mm is reported overnight, which results in a rapid increase in inflow.The inflow peaks at 3 000 cubic metres per second and maintains levels of between 2 500 cubic metres per second and 3 000 cubic metres per second.* By 24h00 NamWater increases outflow to 3 000 cubic metres a second at regular intervals. * At that stage the dam level had risen to 110 per cent of its capacity.Saturday (February 25) * Inflow into the dam does not subside throughout the day following more rainfall in the catchment area * NamWater keeps the outflow from the dam at 3 000 cubic metres per second.* The inflow peaks at 4 000 cubic metres per second at night and NamWater increases the release rate to 3 500 cubic metres per second.Dam level reduced in the process.* NamWater says the additional 500 cubic metres per second that was released caused “negligible damage in the town compared to what had already been experienced”.Sunday (February 26) * The outflow rate is maintained at 3 000 cubic metres per second throughout the day while a steady inflow of 1 800 cubic metres per second is experienced.* Inflow starts subsiding in the evening and dam level goes down to 80 per cent in the early hours of Monday.Monday (February 27) * Floodgates are finally closed at 05h00.(NamWater released around 500 million cubic metres of water in three days).- Compiled by Christof Maletsky