TZANEEN – The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has revised the completion date for the raising of the Tzaneen Dam wall project, which was scheduled to be completed in March this year.

The overall progress of the project is now 46% complete, and the revised completion date of the construction project is now set for March 2026.

The Tzaneen Dam wall raising project was resumed in June 2023 and is part of the Letaba River Water Augmentation Project (GLeWaP).

It involves raising the dam wall by three metres, which will significantly increase the dam’s storage capacity to meet the growing water demands and improve water security.

The additional supply of water will assist households, the agricultural sector, as well as the industrial sector.

Following completion of the project, the dam capacity will be 193 million m3.

The construction that has been carried out includes demolition of the upper section of the existing ogee spillway, construction of a new labyrinth spillway to increase discharge capacity, strengthening of the earthfill embankments for improved dam stability, realignment of the permanent access road downstream of the dam and additional supporting and safety-related works, says Sanku Tsunke, DWS acting spokesperson.

Up to date, the breakdown of the overall progress is as follows; temporary fencing around the site, temporary access road from Deerpark and river diversion pipeline, realignment of the permanent access road, which is 20% complete, embankment strengthening, which is 36% complete, tongue wall construction, which is 19% complete and labyrinth spillway construction, which is 11% complete.

“The project enabled 241 people to be employed, which includes the main contractor and subcontractors. Females are 76, and the youth count to 108,” concluded Sanku.