Staff Reporter
COMMUNITIES near the Orange River in Oranjemund are urged to remain vigilant due to the risk of elevated river levels and potential flooding.
This alert has been issued by Namibia’s Hydrological Services, which reported that the water level of the Lower Orange River at Sendelingsdrift measured 1.83 metres (m) on Wednesday, 9 April 2025 – a significant rise from the 0.81m recorded on 1 April 2025. Meanwhile, the Orange River at the Blouputs station recorded a level of 1.46m on Wednesday morning.
The rise in the Orange River’s water level is partly attributed to overflows and water releases from major upstream dams in South Africa, particularly the Vaal Dam.
“The major upstream dams in South Africa are currently above 100%. It is expected that the flows in the Lower Orange River will remain high in the coming weeks with more water on its way, as a result of further overflows and releases from the upstream dams,” the Hydrological Services explained.
The South African Department of Water and Sanitation confirmed that the Vaal Dam continues to rise. To manage the water levels, five sluice gates have been opened, allowing a discharge of 793 cubic metres per second (m³/s).
Picture for illustrative purposes only.
