DAMS & RESERVOIRS
As many of South Africa's major dams filled to capacity during last summer, we could breathe a sigh of relief. But we can't become complacent. South Africa is considered a dry country because of our unevenly distributed rainfall. Many of us get our water from dams and rivers that capture the rain. By: Chetan Mistry, Strategy and Marketing Manager, Xylem Africa SA'S DAMS ARE FILLING UP, BUT IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE
A ccording to the Water Research Commission, South Africa has over 500 government dams, holding a combined quantity of 37 000 million cubic metres of water (or 15 million Olympic swimming pools) and around 4 000 privately-owned dams. We invest in South Africa's future by managing these dams and their sources and supporting the infrastructure that connects that water with communities. A dam's many uses Dams are vital for social progress: the world spent over USD2tn in the 20 th century to create large dams and reservoirs, a figure reported by MIT's Mission 2017: Global
Water Security group. They cover many important uses, such as irrigation, water supply, energy, and flood control. Dams are instrumental to modern society, covering many different needs: • Irrigation: up to 40 percent of farmlands irrigate using water from dams (MIT). • Energy: hydroelectric power generates 5 percent of SA's electricity, a figure that will grow with renewables (Journal of Energy in Southern Africa). • Water supplies: most of the water used by local communities come from surface water. (UN Water) • Flood control: Major dams, such as the Vaal dam, help control water flow after major downpours.
40 CONSTRUCTION WORLD OCTOBER 2022
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