Evacuation orders along parts of the De Kaap River remain in place after concerns that the Senteeko Dam may be on the brink of collapse have eased following a detailed engineering assessment, reports Cape town Etc .
On Tuesday, 2o January, the City of Mbombela in Mpumalanga issued an emergency evacuation notice for residents living downstream of the dam, citing ongoing heavy rainfall and fears that the dam walls structural integrity was deteriorating. Residents along the Suidkaap, Kaap and Crocodile river systems were urged to move to higher ground as a precaution.
However, a subsequent engineering assessment shared by Umjindi councillor Philip Minnaar later that afternoon indicated that a worst-case dam failure would not result in catastrophic flooding downstream.
