A proposed new major dam on the Kaap River near Low’s Creek may relieve the regional water shortage throttling the Crocodile (East) River Catchment in coming years.

If commissioned, the Crocodile East Water Project will see a 259 000 000m³ dam (slightly bigger than Midmar Dam) with a wall height of 92.5m built within the next eight years. With only the Katse, Mohale and Van der Kloof dams featuring higher walls, the Mountain View Dam will be a very deep dam able to hold a year’s water. The Midmar Dam wall is only 30m high.

Currently in the project announcement phase, authorities still need to jump through a series of hoops before construction can commence. If all goes well, construction may start in about four years, which could see the dam completed eight years from now.

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The water available in the catchment is already over-allocated, yet water requirements, especially domestic, continue to grow. Both public and commercial sectors are said to have requested development of additional yield through storage within the Crocodile (East) River Catchment.

This as the current system is under stress and no longer able to fully meet the environmental water requirements in addition to the growing agricultural and municipal demands. Not to mention meeting international supply agreements with Mozambique and eSwatini. Farmers face constant water restrictions and with the area being a food basket, this does not bode well for food security.

According to a Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) feasibility study document for the project, the situation is expected to worsen in the short term if water conservation and water demand management measures are not fully implemented. That is already largely being done through, among other measures, water restrictions.

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However, in the medium and long term, these measures will not be sufficient to provide for the increase in domestic water requirement, and the yield of the water source will have to be increased by means of additional storage.

Speaking at an authorities meeting held virtually on Tuesday, November 26, to discuss the proposed project, the DWS’s Kobus Bester said the only way to improve the catchment’s parched prospects was by building a dam to capture storm water that would otherwise end up in the sea.

The Kwena Dam (located near Lydenburg and currently at 64% capacity) is the only major dam on the Crocodile (East) River Catchment that can be used to manage water levels during low flow. Crocodile Lake Irrigation Board secretary Nancy O’Farrell welcomed the announcement of this project. She said the building of a second major dam in the catchment will not only relieve pressure off the Crocodile River, but also the Kwena Dam.

“The Crocodile River is over-subscribed. The additional dam has got to happen. It will enable people in the lower areas to get water directly from the dam and take pressure off the Kwena Dam and the Crocodile River,” she said.

O’Farrell also highlighted the number of jobs the project will create in the valley.
A land owners meeting was held at Cranko’s Creek on Thursday morning, November 28, followed by a public meeting at the Matsulu Council Chambers that evening as part of the announcement phase of the project to share information and obtain public comments.

Those who wish to register as interested and affected parties or raise comments regarding the proposed project can do so by no later than January 14 by contacting the environmental consultant, Ashlee Nofal of Nemai Consulting, at ahsleen@nemai.co.za.

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