Water history: Vaalharts

Abstract

The Water Wheel Special Edition 2012 15 Water History Situated at the confluence of the Harts and Vaal rivers on the border between North West and the Northern Cape, the Vaalharts irrigation scheme was first suggested by surveyor-general Francis HS Orpen. He surveyed the area, which then formed part of Griqualand-West after it was annexed by the British in 1871 for the establishment of settler farms. Orpen found that the Vaal River bed was higher than the Harts River valley floor, making irrigation through the use of gravity-fed canals possible. ” The Griqualand-West war broke out before Orpen’s idea could be investigated further.

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