Danger averted, lives saved and work underway to permanently refurbish the spillway at Middle Lake Dam
Swift response by all spheres of government has helped to avoid a disaster of serious magnitude following the caving in of part of the spillway at Middle Lake Dam in Benoni. This was announced by Executive Mayor of City of Ekurhuleni Councillor Mzwandile Masina during a site visit today in Benoni.
A call was received by Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services on 23 December about the caving in of the spillway at Middle Lake Dam. In response a Joint Operations Committee (JOC) was immediately established on 23 December, which helped to prevent loss of lives and damage to properties downstream. The JOC is made up of experts from key departments in the City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, provincial and national Department of Water and Sanitation, and Rand Water.
Since the incident was reported, the JOC managed to divert the water at the onset, then moved on to deploy 11 suction pumps into operation to reduce the dam level. The lowering of the dam level will help to avoid further erosion on the exposed downstream face of the spillway. Secondly the lowering of the dam level will assist in allowing engineers access to the damaged slab for repairs.
In order to beef up operations, the JOC will enlist the use of 6 siphon suction pumps to further lower the dam level. This operation is planned to kick start as soon as the siphon pumps are in place. Following the lowering of the dam, then work will start to remove the damaged concrete slab and filling the voids on the spillway. Whilst this is a temporary measure, it is expected that it will take a number of months to complete the refurbishment of the spillway.
The roads around the Middle Lake Dam, including on and off-ramps to N12 via Tom Jones Road and Bunyan Street remain closed whilst the operation is still underway.
Executive Mayor Masina has pleaded for patience from all parties. “This is a necessary operation to avert a major disaster. We are calling on people of Ekurhuleni to exercise caution and be patient. Once the siphon suction pumps are in place, road usage will resume”.
The Executive Mayor also asked members of the public to steer clear of the operational area, as this can pose danger to them and impede officials on site and disrupt operations.
For more enquiries contact:
Sputnik Ratau, Department of Water and Sanitation Spokesperson
Cell: 082 874 2942
Kelebogile Motlhomedi, Media Officer, City of Ekurhuleni
Cell: 079 090 3536
