Mop-up operations continue after Riverlands Dam collapse

The Swartland District Municipality is carrying out mop-up operations after two retention dams above Riverlands Dam collapsed in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Thousands of residents in the Dassenberg, Riverlands and Chatsworth areas were left homeless.

Spokesperson for the West Coast Disaster Management Centre, Heinrich Robertson says the town doesn’t have clean drinking water.

“This flood created a lot of damage to the electricity and the water infrastructure. The town is left without drinking water. With the help of Drakenstein Municipality, which is our neighbouring municipality and also our Swartland Municipality and the West Coast District, we are driving water in tanks to all affected people daily,” said Robertson.

He added that the government hopes to restore water to affected households.

“I think for the next 48 hours will have to depend on us moving water into town,” he said.

Riverlands Dam Collapse | Mopping up hampered by bad weather

Earlier, Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, Leon Basson said the collapse of the dam wall “is symptomatic of shortcomings regarding dam safety”.

“It is necessary for the Department of Water and Sanitation to enhance their monitoring capabilities to ensure adequate safety standards for its own dams and enhance monitoring of private dams to ensure that the safety of people downstream is not threatened,” Basson added.