In South Africa, there are more than 500 government dams with a combined volume of 37 billion cubic meters (m3)
For water supply, South Africa mostly relies on rivers, dams, and subterranean water. In actuality, South Africa is among the top 30 driest nations on earth with Less than 500 mm of rainfall in the nation each year.
The government constructs dams to store water to ensure that there is enough for us to drink, to grow food, and for industries. A conventional dam is a solid wall (made of concrete, dirt, or rocks) erected across a river to stop the river’s flow.
The greatest storage capacity dam ever constructed in South Africa is the Gariep Dam, located in the Free State. It was built in 1972, and it has a 100 km long, 374 km2 surface area dam that retains water from the Orange River.
About 5 500 million cubic meters (m3) of water can be stored in the dam. The dam, which is made completely of concrete, combines gravity and an arch dam. The 88 m high dam wall is made of around 1,73 million m3 of concrete.
In South Africa, how many private dams are there?
The Water Research Commission estimates that there are around 500 government dams in South Africa that together hold 37,000 million cubic meters of water, the equivalent of 15 million Olympic swimming pools, as well as about 4,000 privately held dams.
Which dam in South Africa is the oldest?
The Limpopo River basin’s oldest dam, the Hartebeespport Dam, was constructed as an arch dam in 1925 and is situated in the Crocodile Catchment.
Principal Goals of Dams
Irrigation.
Generation of Hydropower.
Prevention of flooding
water source
Inland Navigation.
Recreation.
Mine Tailing.
