The abundant rain and the opening of the Hardap Dam’s sluices mean that the Fish River Canyon hiking route, which remained closed last year because of drought, will likely open in May.
According to the park warden of the of the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld, Mendes Vinte, they are very thankful for the good rain that has been received in the area.
He explained that last year the hiking route in the canyon had to be closed for the entire season due to the drought.
The hiking season is open during the cooler months, from May 1 to the end of September, and because there was no water in the canyon the route had to be closed, he said.
According to Vinte the water in the Fish River Canyon will be just enough to last until May when the hiking season starts.
Should the rains continue throughout April, there is a likelihood of flooding in the canyon, which is also dangerous for hikers.
According to him all the hikers who had booked last year had to be rebooked for this season.
High water levels
Massive amounts of water have been released from the Hardap Dam after the sluices were opened on Tuesday afternoon.
By Wednesday afternoon the dam level was still above 70% and the sluices were still open.
On Tuesday dam level rose from 44% to 68% in a matter of 18 hours and NamWater announced that it would open the sluices at 15:00. At that time there had already been an inflow of 54.6 million cubic metres into the dam. Despite the fact that the sluices were opened on Tuesday, the dam level had increased to 74% by yesterday morning after the dam received another 31.4 million cubic metres of inflow.
By yesterday afternoon the sluices were still open and the inflow into the dam stood at 500 cubic metres per second, while the release was 500 cubic metres per second.
NamWater keeps the Hardap Dam level as close as possible to 70% of full capacity to minimise the risk of flooding.
Farmers, motorists and residents along the Fish River were cautioned not to cross the river, as it is now more than a metre deep.
Good rainfall over the past few days has also resulted in significant inflow into other dams around the country.
According to the park warden of the of the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld, Mendes Vinte, they are very thankful for the good rain that has been received in the area.
He explained that last year the hiking route in the canyon had to be closed for the entire season due to the drought.
The hiking season is open during the cooler months, from May 1 to the end of September, and because there was no water in the canyon the route had to be closed, he said.
According to Vinte the water in the Fish River Canyon will be just enough to last until May when the hiking season starts.
Should the rains continue throughout April, there is a likelihood of flooding in the canyon, which is also dangerous for hikers.
According to him all the hikers who had booked last year had to be rebooked for this season.
High water levels
Massive amounts of water have been released from the Hardap Dam after the sluices were opened on Tuesday afternoon.
By Wednesday afternoon the dam level was still above 70% and the sluices were still open.
On Tuesday dam level rose from 44% to 68% in a matter of 18 hours and NamWater announced that it would open the sluices at 15:00. At that time there had already been an inflow of 54.6 million cubic metres into the dam. Despite the fact that the sluices were opened on Tuesday, the dam level had increased to 74% by yesterday morning after the dam received another 31.4 million cubic metres of inflow.
By yesterday afternoon the sluices were still open and the inflow into the dam stood at 500 cubic metres per second, while the release was 500 cubic metres per second.
NamWater keeps the Hardap Dam level as close as possible to 70% of full capacity to minimise the risk of flooding.
Farmers, motorists and residents along the Fish River were cautioned not to cross the river, as it is now more than a metre deep.
Good rainfall over the past few days has also resulted in significant inflow into other dams around the country.
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