Senteeko Dam, officially "My Own Dam" near Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa, is facing an imminent risk of failure due to severe erosion and undercutting of its spillway after heavy rains, prompting urgent evacuation orders for downstream farming communities along the 'Die Kaap River'. Government officials are implementing temporary risk-reduction measures, including widening the spillway to lower water levels, but warn the situation is critical, threatening agriculture and infrastructure, with ongoing monitoring and emergency coordination in place.
The dam was built many years ago to sustain the Senteeko Tea Estate.
Senteeko Dam, is registered with the department’s dam safety office as a 26m-high medium size dam, with a storage capacity of 1.8 million cubic metres. It is owned by the 'Shamile Communal Property Association' and is mainly used for irrigation.
The newly elected Shamile CPA Committee at Senteeko Tea Estate on the outskirts of Umjindi says, a further government assistance will soon lead to their self sustenance, thereby giving other would-be beneficiaries of government services a chance. Come that time, they would create sustainable jobs, play a part in poverty alleviation, job creation and ensuring food security.
They made the commitment during the Legislature's Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, visited their farm during an oversight, to assess if there's value for money on the work by the Department, but also to assist and guide in overcoming bottlenecks.
The 575ha project, assisted by the DARDLEA, is spreading its wings to Tea Production, Livestock & Vegetable Production, and lately, venturing into Citrus with thousands of trees currently being planted.
Commending the Department's interventions, the CPA is looking forward to supplying their produce to the Mpumalanga International Food Market that's soon to start operating in Mbombela, including the Government Nutrition Programme.
Earlier in the day the MPLs visited the Nkomazi Citrus project near Driekoppies.