Staff Reporter
THE Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Main Road (MR118) as well as Oranjemund’s gravel road bordering the Orange River has been closed due to flooding along the Orange River.
The closure of the MR118 road was confirmed by the Roads Authority (RA), while the Oranjemund Town Council announced the closure of the gravel road.
This comes after the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform warned that major river overflows were triggered by high rainfall developments in the headwaters of the Vaal and Orange-Senqu River catchments in South Africa and Lesotho. These overflows, the ministry explained, resulted in releases being made from the Bloemhof, Gariep and Vanderkloof dams. The high flows then moved down the Orange River, resulting in the river’s water level rising.
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk) 
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk) 
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk) 
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk) 
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk) 
FLOODING: Photos of the high river levels of the Lower Orange River at the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road. Photos: Facebook (Basterjtent William Van Wyk)
RA announced that the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund Road will thus be closed with immediate effect, until further notice, adding that only emergency services vehicles will be allowed to access the route, if water levels permit.
“As a precautionary measure, road users are advised to use the route across the border to South Africa at Swartkops gate in the interim. Namdeb is still busy with works on the Oranjemund-Lüderitz route (which is a private road) and will inform the public when it will be opened to the general public, as a temporary alternative. Thus, motorists are kindly requested to plan their journeys accordingly,” RA added.
The Oranjemund Town Council announced that the closure of the gravel road is also a result of multiple flood waves along the river, which cut access to the road behind the Off-road club.
“All residents and visitors are therefore called upon to minimise activities along the river and exercise extreme care when visiting the beach area,” the town council advised.
