What is Dams?
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability.
Best Dams In South Africa
Gariep Dam
Province: Free State
Capacity: 5,340,600 megalitres
The Gariep Dam is South Africa’s largest hydroelectric project. It’s a hydroelectric dam with a concrete gravity arch. To begin with, the dam was referred to by its Dutch name, the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam.
It is situated near the town of Norvalspont and borders the provinces of the Eastern Cape and the Free State.
When was the Gariep Dam constructed? This reservoir was under development from 1965 until 1971 when it was finally completed.
Despite being privately owned, the Gariep Dam is really a state-owned project.
In addition to power production, irrigation, industry, and home usage, the Gariep Dam was built for aesthetic and functional purposes.
How long is the Gariep Dam, anyway? This dam has a height of 88 meters, a length of 914 meters, and a total water capacity of 5,340,600 mega-liters.
A dam that covers the biggest amount of land in South Africa is the Gariep Dam (352 million meters square).
Some of the waterways that drain into the Gariep are these:
- Caledon River
- Orange River
- Palmietspruit
- Slykspruit
- Oudagspruit
- Broekspruit
- Brakspruit
Vanderkloof Dam
Provinces: Northern Cape & Free State
Capacity: 3, 171, 300 megalitre
The second biggest dam in South Africa was originally named the P. K. Le Roux Dam before it was changed to the Vanderkloof Dam.
Vanderkloof Dam was built from 1973 to 1977 and put into service in 1977.
A total of 3,236 million cubic meters of water may be stored in the Vanderkloof Dam, one of South Africa’s biggest reservoirs.
133.402 square kilometers are covered by Vanderkloof Dam (51.5 square miles).
The Vanderkloof Dam’s primary function is to generate electricity, and it is capable of doing so with an installed capacity of up to 360 MW.
The dam is an integral component of the Orange River Project (just as the Gariep Dam) and supplies water to the Riet River catchment including the various users along the remaining 1 400 km of the Orange River. Residents of the Orange River area mostly utilize the waterway for domestic reasons.
Sterkfontein Dam
Province: Free State
Capacity: 2, 616, 900 megalitres
The Sterkfontein Dam is South Africa’s second-tallest dam wall constructed at the outskirt of the town of Harrismith, in the Free State. There was a period of eleven (11) years from 1969 to 1980 when the Sterkfontein Dam was finished and put into use.
Sterkfontein is an Afrikaans term that translates to “Strong Fountain” in English.
It’s important to note that the Tugela-Vaal Water Project includes the Sterkfontein Dam as well, built on the Nuwejaarspruit. Water flows into the dam via the Tugela-Vaal Project, a pumped-storage scheme that has a net transfer of up to 630 million m3 of water from KwaZulu-Natal. This is stored in the Sterkfontein Dam and then released via the Wilge River to the Vaal Dam when needed.
The Sterkfontein Dam reservoir has a total water capacity of 2,616,900 megalitres and a volume of 19,800,000 cubic meters. In terms of height and length, it stands at 97 meters.
The principal purpose of constructing the dam is mainly for domestic and industrial use and has been ranked high because of its hazard potential.
The Vaal Dam
Province: Free State & Gauteng
Capacity 2, 603, 400 megalitres
For visitors to Gauteng, South Africa, the Vaal Dam is a popular destination. Activities include swimming, boating, and even water skiing at this location.
The Vaal Dam is fed by… It is fed by a number of rivers including the Klip, Groot, Wilge, and Molspruit rivers. Almost 1,200 miles of coastline adorn this nation’s coasts.
What’s the current level of the Vaal Dam’s reservoir? The dam can store up to 2,609,800,00 cubic meters of water at any one time. It is 54.2 meters tall and covers 320 square kilometers in size.
In what year was the Vaal Dam built? The dam was built in 1938 by the South African Department of Water Affairs and Rand Water, a joint venture.
What is the location of the Vaal Dam? Over the course of 77 kilometers south of Johannesburg, the Vaal Dam spans three (3) South African states, namely Gauteng (the capital), the Free State, and the Mpumalanga province.
Nearly all of the time, the Vaal Dam is at or near its maximum capacity.
As the Vaal River is projected to experience major floods, a spillway capacity of 25,00 cubic meters/s was built.
Pongolapoort/Jozini Dam
Province KwaZulu-Natal
Capacity 2,267,100 megalitres
Lake Jozini is the name given to the Pongolapoort Dam’s reservoir. The Phongolo River serves as the dam’s primary source of water.
There were no other big dams in South Africa when Jozini Dam was built.
KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, borders it on the Phongolo River, which runs through it.
Animals and the past: The Jozini dam was built in 1973 and is owned by the Water Affairs Department. In addition to the Pongola Game Reserve, the Jozini Dam is home to other private game reserves.
These game reserves feature a wide variety of camping spots for fishing, as well as a number of private lodges.
What is the length of the Jozini Dam? An 89-meter-high dam with a length of 451 meters, the Jozini Dam can hold 2,445,900,000 cubic meters of water. The catchment area is 7814 square kilometers.
Ponglolapoort Dam was built primarily for irrigation purposes, to supply water to local farmers on the Makatini flats for the cultivation of crops such as maize, cotton, and sugar cane. Jozini Dam is built in a beautiful part of northern KZN, the western side of the Lebombo mountain range; an area characterized by subtropical weather, bushveld, and wildlife.
Bloemhof Dam
Provinces: North West & Free State
Capacity: 1, 240, 200 megalitres
Bloemhof Dam, situated near the junction of the Vet River and the Vaal River, is one of South Africa’s biggest. When it was first built in 1960, it was named the Oppermansdrif Dam.
In South Africa, it is on the border between the provinces of the Free State and the North-Western Province.
During this time, the dam was finished and commissioned.
The Bloemhof Dam on the Vaal River has the longest crest in South Africa (4270 meters) and is the tallest structure in the country at 33 meters. It has a total water capacity of 1,269,000,000 cubic meters and has a surface area of 22,262 hectares.
The principal reason for constructing the Bloemhof Dam was to hold runoff originating below the Vaal Dam in order to supply water to users in the Lower Vaal River area. The dam supplies water to various industrial and municipal users which are mostly used for riparian irrigation along the Vaal River totaling 17 000ha
Which is the biggest dam in South Africa?
The Gariep Dam
The Gariep Dam, in the Free State, is the dam with the largest storage capacity ever built in South Africa. Constructed in 1972, it stores water from the Orange River in a 100 km-long dam with a surface area of 374 km2.
Which dam is the most beautiful in South Africa?
- Boskop Dam Nature Reserve. Dams. By Ahmedrasool.
- Kouga Dam. Dams. By adventures experience
- Berg River Dam. Dams.
- Driekloof Dam. Dams.
- Bivane Dam. Dams.
- Kalkfontein Dam Nature Reserve. Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas.
- Taung Dam. Dams.
- Emanzini Resort Vrede Dam. Dams • Playgrounds.