The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has dispatched a team of dam safety engineers to the Senteeko Dam, in the Mbombela Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, to conduct an urgent technical assessment and monitor reported structural damage.

An evacuation alert has been issued for communities downstream of the dam.

The DWS confirmed that the dam, with a storage capacity of 1.8 million m³, is at risk of failure.

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Authorities have warned that an imminent dam wall failure could potentially release the water into the Suidkaap area, posing serious risks to lives, property, and infrastructure.

Mpumalanga has been hit by persistent heavy rainfall and flooding in January, with authorities issuing repeated flood alerts and reporting damage to infrastructure and disruption to communities in parts of the province.

The DWS said areas most likely to be affected include communities in close proximity

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