Severe flood expected in Orange River

ELLANIE SMITWINDHOEKRivers rise and dams spill overThe good rains of the last couple of weeks have filled up storage dams in Namibia and South Africa.The department of hydrological services has warned that serious flooding can be expected in the Lower Orange River this year due to the recent heavy rains, as well as releases and spillages from South African dams and dams in southern Namibia.“Hence close monitoring and a high level of alertness by the communities living in the lower part of the Orange Fish catchment is advised,” it said.It said Namibia’s major dams received significant inflow due to heavy rain in their catchment areas over the past few weeks.“The total content of the major water-supply dams in the southern part of the country is relatively high and on Monday stood at 91.1%.“Dam operators are advised to upscale flood control management for flood risk mitigation and early warning to communities living downstream,” the department said.Dams fullThe volume of the Neckartal Dam stood at 877 060 million cubic metres yesterday morning, which is equivalent to 102.3 % of its capacity.It started spilling on Monday yesterday, partly due to releases from the Hardap Dam over the weekend.NamWater opened the sluices of the Naute and Hardap dams to release water over the weekend.The Naute Dam’s level stood at 102% yesterday morning, while the Hardap Dam was 72.2% full.The average content of the country’s major water supply dams stood at 82.4 % on Monday.Rivers in floodThe country's ephemeral rivers were also in flood after heavy rains in their catchments over the past weekend, the department says.The Kuiseb River at Gobabeb peaked at 2.1 metres on 22 January.The perennial Zambezi and Okavango rivers continue with their gradual rise but their levels are lower than at the same time last year.The Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo recorded 1.32 metres, while the Okavango River at Rundu recorded 4.28 metres on Monday. Last year the rivers recorded 1.93 and 4.35 metres respectively.The flow in the Kunene River remains low at 58.1 cubic metres per second, compared to 72.1 cubic metres last year.ellanie@namibiansun.com

Severe flood expected in Orange River

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-30

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Severe flood expected in Orange River

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-30

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