Flood warning for Orange River

ELLANIE SMITWINDHOEKA flood warning has been issued by South Africa for all downstream users on the lower Orange River, also in Namibia.According to the spokesperson of the agriculture ministry, Jona Musheko, with the storage dams in South Africa that have already reached full capacity there will not be much room to absorb more inflow.“Hence we should expect more spills and releases from upstream.”He said this situation currently requires close monitoring and alertness from both authorities in South Africa and Namibia, for imminent flooding impact to the downstream users on the lower Orange River usually affected by these types of floods.Road washed outThe Roads Authority (RA) of Namibia on Thursday announced that the Rosh Pinah/ Aussenkehr Road will be temporarily closed until further notice due to flooding.“This road is currently experiencing flooding, caused by high water levels in the Orange River due to heavy rain in South Africa,” it said.The RA requested the public to make use of the Keetmanshoop/Aus//Rosh Pinah route until the water levels have subsided and the road is safe for motorists.According to a flood report from South Africa, the flow in the lower Orange River at Sendelingsdrif was 1 729 cubic metres per second and rising on Thursday.It further indicated that the Vaal Dam was at 108.6% of its capacity on Thursday, the Bloemhof Dam was at 106.6%, the Gariep Dam was at 107.3 % and the Vanderkloof Dam at 108%.“The water levels along the entire Orange River downstream of Vanderkloof Dam remain medium high but have peaked and are currently decreasing at Katlani, Prieska, Upington, Neusberg and Blouputs, but are still rising further downstream at Sendelingsdrif,” it said.ellanie@namibiansun.com

Flood warning for Orange River

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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Flood warning for Orange River

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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