Ruacana Falls a stunning spectacle
Water levels will rise without warning, NamWater warns
Tourists describe Ruacana Falls as a breathtaking spectacle, more stunning than it has been in decades.According to NamWater's latest dam bulletin, the Calueque Dam is now 95.1% full, up from 80% last week.
Lodge owners along the Kunene River are preparing to evacuate after the dam's sluices were opened on Sunday.
Hanta Potgieter from Omanjandi Rest Camp, located about eight kilometres west of Ruacana Falls, told Network Media Hub (NMH) yesterday: "We have a lot of water. The flow rate was 2 400 cubic metres per second as at Monday at 01:00."
"The camp is halfway underwater and the water level keeps rising. We are cut off – people can't reach us and the road ahead is closed. The river is pushing back," Potgieter said.
"We are basically on an island, waiting to see what happens next. We will have to evacuate."
She added that while the horses can be ridden out, the cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and ducks will have to be moved to higher ground on the so-called Witbult. The last time Omanjandi flooded, the pigs, ducks and chickens were washed away.
According to Potgieter, this is the seventh flood Omanjandi has experienced, with the highest recorded in 2020.
Omanjandi remains closed until further notice.
"It remains an experience – it remains beautiful," she said.
Warning issued
NamPower has warned residents and communities along the Kunene River that, due to heavy rainfall in southern Angola, large volumes of water are flowing towards Ruacana.
As a result, NamPower opened the second sluice gate of the diversion wall at the power station on Monday, increasing the river flow to more than 1 600 cubic metres per second (1.6 million litres per second).
"The extremely high river flow, last seen in 2011, is expected to cause significant flooding downstream of the Ruacana Power Station," NamPower warned.
"Residents in the area and river users downstream of the Ruacana Power Station are urged to evacuate low-lying areas immediately, move livestock and equipment to higher ground and stay away from the riverbanks, as water levels will rise without warning," NamWater cautioned.
"Lodges and campsites in the area are also advised to take note of the flood warning and make all necessary arrangements to ensure their safety and that of their visitors. Residents and visitors are further urged to stay away from the riverbanks and avoid any activities near the water."
Rising levels
Due to widespread rainfall, dam levels across the country continue to rise, with eleven dams recording significant inflows over the past week.
In the north, the Olushandja Dam is now 72.9% full, while the Omdel Dam near Omaruru has reached 26.3%.
At Mariental, NamWater, the municipality, and irrigation farmers are closely monitoring the Hardap Dam to manage sluice openings and prevent another devastating flood in the town. Hardap stood at 74.9% yesterday, a sharp increase from just 12.2% last season and 64.3% about a week ago.
In the south, the Naute Dam has risen from 55.7% to 62.1% within a week, while the Neckartal Dam increased from 88.3% to 91.3%. Near Rehoboth, the Oanob Dam surged from 56.8% to 68.9% over the same period.
Among the central dams, the Swakoppoort Dam is overflowing at 104.4%. The Von Bach Dam near Okahandja rose from 58.2% to 64.9% in a week, while the Omatako Dam surged from 46.2% to 80.8%. In the Gobabis district, the Daan Viljoen Dam saw a significant rise from 34.7% to 64.1%. - [email protected]