Niks fout met Albasinidam se sluise nie, sê DWS

Deur Andries van Zyl

Die Departement van Waterwese en Sanitasie (DWS) het Dinsdag aangedui dat niks fout is met die sluise by die Albasinidam nie, nadat ‘n gerug op sosiale media die ronde begin doen het dat slegs een van die dam se 13 sluise nog in werkende toestand is.

Die kwessie rondom die dam se sluise het die afgelope week na vore gekom nadat een van die dam se sluise oopgetrek moes word om die invloei van stormwater te bestuur.

“Het gister in die dorp gehoor dat ‘n privaat kontrakteur genader is om te help met die sluise! Toe hy daar kom vind hy dat net een sluis tot op ‘n punt beweeg! Daar is glo min - of geen - onderhoud gedoen op die sluise nie en die moontlikheid ontstaan dat hulle meestal buite werking

Flood warning as “Freddy” makes its way eastwards

By Andries van Zyl

With rain gauges having already overflowed a number of times over the past couple of weeks and the soil logged with water, everyone is holding their breath as to the potential impact Cyclone Freddy will have on the region.

By Wednesday morning, Cyclone Freddy was moving over Madagascar in a westerly direction as a severe tropical storm. Although tropical marine systems such as Freddy weaken significantly once they move overland, as a result of friction when interacting with a land surface, it does pick up speed again if it moves back over water.

Regarding this, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a warning on Wednesday that Cyclone Freddy might go into a potentially dangerous (and uncertain) phase of its life cycle as it moves into the very warm ocean waters of the southern Mozambique Channel.

“The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) designated Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) located at La Reunion forecasts that ‘Freddy’ will continue in a west-south-westerly direction over the next few days, regaining its strength this evening as it moves into the Mozambique Channel. ‘Freddy’ may yet again reach near-tropical-cyclone status by Thursday evening while heading to southern Mozambique, making landfall just north of Vilanculos during Friday morning,” the SAWS said.

The SAWS warned that “Freddy” will affect the north-eastern parts of South Africa from early Saturday until Monday (25 to 27 February 2023) especially the Lowveld and escarpment areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as the weather system will be semi-stationary along the north-eastern border for a few days. “Very heavy rainfall in the order of 200 to 400 mm is possible, and this may result in widespread, significant flooding. The districts in question are Vhembe and Mopani in Limpopo and, to a slightly lesser extent, Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga. This, after significant flooding occurred over the Lowveld and escarpment areas (such as the Kruger National Park) the last few weeks, may be catastrophic and cause prolonged and severe impacts,” the SAWS said. They assured the public that, in consultation with national and provincial disaster-management structures, they continue to monitor developments on a 24/7 basis and will issue regular updates in this regard, across a variety of media and social-media platforms. kan wees. Ons hoop maar dat dit vals informasie is! Weet enige iemand dalk meer daarvan??” het die WhatsApp-boodskap gelees wat op sosiale media versprei is.

At a local level, the chairman of the Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union, Mr Fanie Havinga, also warned on Wednesday about the possibility of flooding.

“If we get only 100 mm of rain over a short period of time, like within a day or a couple of hours, we will have floods as the soil is already soaked. But if we get 100 mm of rain over four or five days, chances of floods will be slim as the region can handle the amount of rain over longer periods,” said Havinga.

In antwoord op ‘n navraag hieroor het Departement van Waterwese en Sanitasie Dinsdag skriftelik bevestig dat geen probleme ondervind word met die sluise by die Albasinidam nie. Hulle het ook gesê dat hulle geensins gebruik maak van privaatkontrakteurs nie en dat hulle oor hulle eie meganiese en elektriese kontrakteur beskik wat op ‘n drie-jaar kontrak aangestel is. Wat die sluise self betref, het hulle aangedui dat 12 van die dam se 13 sluise in werkende toestand is. Tegnici is tans besig om na die 13de sluis te kyk.

“Ek was pas op die damwal by die sluise saam met die Departement van Waterwese. Die dam is tans ‘n 100% vol en die rede hoekom daar nie sluise oop is nie, is om die water te bestuur met die afvloei, [verder] rivier af. By Maclands word daar aan weerskante van die rivier gewerk en moet daar oor laagwaterbrûe beweeg word, so die water moet bestuur word,” het mnr. Fanie Havinga, voorsitter van die Soutpansberg Distrikslandbou-unie, Woensdagmiddag gesê tydens ‘n besoek aan die dam.

Volgens Havinga word die dam bestuur om hom vol te hou. Die sluise word dus sporadies oopgetrek wanneer niemand verder af in die afloop oor die rivier moet beweeg nie. “Hulle hou ook die weer dop. Met tye sal daar meer water uitgelaat word om voorsiening te maak vir aankomende water wat dalk die volgende week kan inkom,” het Havinga gesê.

Soos vir alle ander Suid-Afrikaners is die kragtoevoer ook vir die mense van waterwese by die damwal ‘n krisis.

“Al die sluise word met krag oop gemaak, en as daar dan ‘n probleem is, is daar ‘n bystandkraan waarmee hulle ‘n sluis kan ooptrek. Maar hy word ook met elektrisiteit aangedryf. Dit is waarvoor hulle ‘n bystand-kragopwekker het en hy werk wel, so hulle is definitief voorberei vir enige massas water wat kan inkom,” het Havinga gesê.

Wat die water wat bo-oor die sluise loop betref, het Havinga gesê dit gebeur gewoonlik wanneer hulle die sluise toe hou weens beurtkrag en die tyd van die dag wanneer hulle wil sekermaak almal kom verder af in die rivier oor die laagwaterbrûe.