No crack in Neckartal wall

ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK



The agriculture ministry says all possible risks, including flooding, were assessed before the Neckartal Dam was built and claims of a crack in the dam wall are rubbish.

The ministry says it has taken note of public concern about an alleged crack in the Neckartal Dam based on images circulated on social media, which insinuated that the dam is sub-standard.

The concerns were raised after significant inflow filled up the new dam unexpectedly quickly.



Tunnels

According to the ministry there are two tunnels within the dam wall called drainage galleries, an upper and lower gallery. “In the galleries there are drainage holes drilled to some depth into the foundation of the dam wall.”

These holes relieve the pressure in the foundation by releasing the accumulating water and channelling it into the galleries, the ministry said.

“Each gallery has two drainage sumps that collect the water and drain it out through an outlet pipe onto the steps downstream of the dam. The dam also has drainage holes on the upstream at each induced joint that collects water seeping through and channels it through the gallery as mentioned above.”



Fake news

The ministry said the insinuation that the above-mentioned outlets will eventually cause damage to the dam holds no truth and is misleading.

The ministry further said that the environmental impact assessment carried out before the start of the project looked at all possible risks, both upstream and downstream.