The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) in the Western Cape Region is calling on residents and people engaged in assortment of activities near dams and rivers to be cautious as dams, canals and reservoirs in the province are at full capacity due to the persistent heavy rains.The ground in the Western Cape is saturated due to rainfall and will result in a high runoff which could cause local flooding in low areas. People who stay within the flood lines are especially advised to be on the alert.
The design and construction of dams in the Western Cape are not intended to prevent or mitigate floods – they are storage dams that are operated to capture as much of the rain as possible for the dry summer months.The risk areas with a high possibility of local flooding have been identified as:
- Berg River at the Paarl downstream of Berg River dam
- The entire low-lying areas in the Berg River system could be vulnerable to local flooding
- Eerster River system
- The Lourens River at Somerset-West
- Cape Flats informal settlements
