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dam-l New large dam in Cape
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>Subject: New large dam in Cape
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>>ASMAL VIEWS PROPOSED SITE FOR GIANT WCAPE DAM
>>CAPE TOWN October 20 1998 Sapa
>>
>> Water Affairs Minister Kader Asmal on Tuesday made a helicopter
>> reconnaissance of the Western Cape's Olifants and Doring river
>> basins to examine at firsthand the site of what could become the
>> province's biggest dam.
>>
>> The department of water affairs' Western Cape regional director
>> Rashid Khan told Sapa that construction of the new dam - at
>> Aspoort on the Doring River - had been proposed by Northern Cape
>> premier Manne Dipico.
>>
>> The Doring, which runs along the eastern side of the Cedarberg
>> Mountains, is one of South Africa's last unspoilt rivers, and
>> several important historical and archaeological sites occur along
>> it.
>>
>> Khan said if a decision was taken to go ahead, the new dam could
>> hold between 230 and 430 million cubic metres. The higher figure
>> would make the Aspoort dam 30 million cubic metres bigger than
>> Theewaterskloof dam near Villiersdorp, currently the largest body
>> of inland water in the Western Cape.
>>
>> Speaking at a meeting in the West Coast town of Mooreesburg after
>> his inspection flight, Asmal said the site at Aspoort had long
>> been identified as one of the best for construction of a dam.
>>
>> The Northern Cape government had recently investigated the Aspoort
>> scheme as an opportunity to stimulate development, and had come up
>> with positive results.
>>
>> However, the outcome of the study clearly pointed to a lack of
>> information in several areas, particularly on environmental and
>> ecological requirements.
>>
>> "There are still several years of study required to gain
>> sufficient understanding of these systems, to judiciously decide
>> on the level of development that would be naturally sustainable,"
>> Asmal said.
>>
>> Khan told Sapa that the cost of building the dam would be about R1
>> billion.
>>
>> Another site - at the confluence of the Doring and Olifants rivers
>> - was also under consideration.
>>
>> He said it would require a minimum of seven to 10 years before
>> construction could start on the Aspoort scheme.
>>
>> The Doring River rises in the mountains north of Ceres and runs
>> north through the Karoo for over 100km, before turning east and
>> joining the Olifants.
>>
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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