20 Nov 2013

Parliament has been told that Otse, Mogobane, Garatauyagae are agricultural dams, therefore, they are not under the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, whilst Nnywane Dam is managed by Water Utilities Corporation.

Responding to a parliamentary question, the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila said his ministry did not have any plans to de-silt Nnywane Dam as there was no evidence indicating the need for such an exercise on the dam.

He said Nnywane Dam was small with a capacity of 2.3 million cubic metres and hence filled easily during good rains and performed well for a dam of its size. The minister further stated that there was no specific policy on de-silting of dams and that the decision as to whether to de-silt or reshape the dam wall and spillway depended on the specific characteristics of each dam.

The minister however, said his ministry carried out a survey on the siltation of dams every 10 years and it is the survey that informs whether a dam is silted to a level that warrants de-siltation. He said the last siltation survey was carried out in 2005 and the next one will be done in 2015.

The MP for South East South, Mr Odirile Motlhale had asked when Mogobane, Otse and Garatauyagae and Nnywane dams will be de-silted. He had also wanted the minister to state the policy on de-silting of dams. Ends