SA - A proud history of dam safety

Abstract

Dams The first significant storage dams in South Africa were already constructed during the second half of the nineteenth century, but it was not until 1987 that the country passed its first dam safety legislation. Nevertheless, the country’s dam safety record compares favourably with that of developed countries. Loss of life during dam failures has been relatively low through the decades, and in the last 25 years not a single Category II or III (high risk) dam for which there had been a licence to construct has failed in South Africa. Last year one incident was reported, namely Hogsett Dam, a 15 m high, 125 200 m3 capacity earthen dam near Dordrecht, in the Eastern Cape, which failed in February after heavy rain. Originally constructed in 1932 the dam was never registered or inspected and thus missed out on the benefits of dam safety legislation.

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