Hannes Kaufmann
IF it were not for the construction of two dams between 100 and 70 years ago, the recent turbulent flow of massive water volume into the Hardap Dam may have caused extensive damage to the town of Mariental and surrounding produce farmers’ land.
A feat that allowed these two dams to control and prevent the possible overflow of water into the Hardap dam shows the historic significance, not only in controlling the Packriem rivers, but also in contributing to this barren region’s underground water resources.
Informanté reported on the 21st of January that a dam burst in the Packriem river on Farm Falkenhorst had contributed to almost a 6% additional water inflow into the Hardap dam. This initially had the town and its local produce farmers on edge. Due to careful water inflow monitoring and the subsequent opening of the sluices for the controlled outflow of water the dam did no reach a dangerous level.
Informanté spoke to Mr Horst Fechter, the owner of Farm Falkenhorst, about the intricacies that led to the dam burst and also the dam’s most interesting history.
“The Packriem originates in the Lilienvlei near Maltahöhe and is therefore the ‘overflow’ of the Vlei. The catchment area of the Packriem is relatively small, only about 30,000 hectares but one of the most important tributaries of the Fish River,” said Fechter.
“There are 2 major dams in this area, the Ober-Packriemerdamm and the dam on Falkenhorst. However the Falkenhorster dam is over 100 years old and the dam on the Ober-Packriem farm is around 70 years old, but larger. Both dams have experienced many large rainy seasons of up to 400mm – albeit in rainy seasons lasting several weeks/months. The average rainfall in this area is 180 mm per year,” said Fechter.
Upon asking how much rain fell in the area, Fechter stated that in the catchment area of the Packriem area, almost 200 mm fell within 5 days with mainly torrential rain after very severe thunderstorms. According to him several electricity installations were damaged.
“We are of the opinion that climate change is a reality here in the form of increased weather phenomena. Stronger winds, thunderstorms, rainfall, droughts, and even snowstorms,” said Fechter.
He also added that the particularly extensive rainfall in the southwest of Namibia at this time of the year and with currently little rainfall in the north and east of Namibia could also be noteworthy in terms of climate change.
“It is by no means carelessness of the farmer with the maintenance of the dam that has caused the overflow of the dam to collapse, nor overgrazing or the like (grazing conditions are very good), but the increased thunderstorms and heavier rainfall,” he added.
An interesting fact is that both dams in the upper reaches of the Packriem area are older than the Hardap dam, so by no means a “new” danger or “water theft” or “new” change in river conditions.
Fechter also added that luckily only a small part of the Falkenhorster overflow was damaged. “The 100-year-old dam wall is undamaged!” he said.
A report had to be made to the water authority in Mariental, because at the beginning of the flood it was not possible to estimate how extensive the damage could be.
The Falkenhorster Dam replenishes the farm’s groundwater and the dam is also used for tourism and for a rich wildlife population he said.
