The Department of Water and Sanitation will host a Clanwilliam Open Day on Saturday 27 June 2015.

According to the department the main objective of the Open Day is to update the communities of Cederberg, Matzikama Municipality and surrounding areas about the progress made with regards to the raising of the Clanwilliam Dam Project.

Various other governments departments and agencies like the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Social Development and others will use the open day as an opportunity to exhibit and render services during the event.

Clanwilliam Dam is situated on the Olifants River near the town of Clanwilliam which is within the Cederberg Municipality in the Western Cape Province.

The dam was originally built in 1935 and was later raised by 6 meters to its current level in 1969 to provide for an increasing irrigation demand.

In recent years, the Lower Olifants River Water Users Association requested the Department of Water and Sanitation investigate the feasibility of raising the dam in conjunction with the rehabilitation of the dam wall.

The raising of the dam supply level would increase the storage capacity and yield of the dam and improve water availability, which is currently considered inadequate for the high value crops produced on the scheme.