Nearly all of South Africa’s dams usually are not inspected each 5 years, as mandated by nationwide laws.
Following dam partitions bursting and inflicting devastating flash floods in Riverlands, Western Cape, parliament has heard the division of water & sanitation (DWS) has a extreme scarcity of dam inspectors.
In Riverlands, close to the city of Malmesbury, the collapse of a sequence of three dams owned by the division on 7 August left 107 individuals homeless and destroyed the livelihoods of small scale farmers within the rural settlement.
The settlement was once more flooded on 17 August when a spillway created by engineers on the fourth and largest dam overflowed.
Earlier this month, DWS minister Penny Majodina and her deputy informed the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) that the division faces a extreme scarcity of accredited skilled individuals to examine dams. It at the moment solely employs 4 inspectors completely, and there are solely 101 on the register of accredited skilled inspectors countrywide, most of whom (60%) are over 60 years of age.
Dam house owners should submit a security report ready by an accredited inspector each 5 years. The regulation requires accredited professionals to do the inspections, and solely the minister could appoint them after consulting with the Engineering Council of South Africa.
Security report compliance for dams is low, with an total compliance fee by dam house owners of solely 33%. The division itself owns 286 dams and solely 41% are compliant. Municipalities, with 217 dams, are the worst offenders – solely 24% compliant. The agricultural sector has 1 481 dams and 26% compliance; water boards personal 97 dams and have 46% compliance; and mines and business have 240 dams and 40% compliance. There are additionally unregistered dams.
Backlog
In November 2022, the division had a security analysis backlog of 474 studies, relationship again to April 2018. A plan to eradicate this backlog was initiated in February 2023. By then the backlog had risen to 518.
The appointment of a service supplier to overview and consider 42 studies for 2018/2019 was carried out this 12 months, at a value of R917 000. The present backlog of 476 will price over the following two to 3 years, commencing in November, an estimated R7.1-million a minimum of.
Sean Phillips, DWS director-general, mentioned an open tender course of had been initiated to handle an inspection backlog of tons of of studies attributable to a scarcity of certified inspectors.
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MP Nkosinathi Nxumalo (MK) puzzled when the division had recognised the necessity for inspectors, given the size of time it takes to coach an engineer – seven to eight years. MP Sipho Mahlangu (ANC) requested what the division was doing to handle this expertise scarcity.
Majodina replied there have been methods to recruit and practice extra inspectors, with the division partaking with engineering establishments and universities to create a pipeline of younger professionals, whereas additionally working to fast-track the qualification course of.
The division says it’s liaising with the engineering council to determine a particular class of dam specialists, making it simpler for engineers to use to be accredited professionals.
The division says at the moment inner engineers are conducting month-to-month and quarterly inspections of its dams. The place the engineers determine severe issues, the division then appoints an accredited skilled to hold out an evaluation.
DWS spokesman Mandla Mathebula mentioned the division will promote eight further posts subsequent month. “Many of the [approved professionals] that had been employed by DWS retired from public service and others resigned to affix the non-public sector,” he mentioned.
