News / Local
Bulawayo Dam spill: Civil Protection Unit caught napping
08 Feb 2014 at 12:10hrs | Views
The Civil Protection Unit has been caught napping resulting in the Bulawayo City Council being forced to evacuate more than 100 families in Manningdale suburb after a private owned dam started spilling due to incessant rains.
The dam, Manningdale Dam, located behind Kabott Drive started spilling on Friday night according to BCC chief fire officer Richard Peterson.
Peterson said the dam that started overflowing due to a combination of rains and inflow from rivers upstream destroyed maize and potato crops at the local plots while a few houses had been flooded.
"We got a call at 5am today and quickly attended the scene. As you can see, we have opened the floodgates so that the water goes downstream to reduce pressure and over spilling. We pray that it doesn't rain today," Peterson said.
He said City Council officials were evacuating families downstream including Manningdale, Riverside, Lockview, Mahatshula and Parklands.
"Our officers have been deployed to all the bridges along the stream up to where the stream connects with Umguza River," Peterson said.
He said it was unfortunate that the Civil Protection Unit had not reported on the site of the dam.
"We have been forced by circumstances to assists but this is the duty of the civil protection unit, they are the ones who are supposed to rescue the residents here and do all the work that we are doing. We were hoping that by now they would have sent a helicopter to warn residents downstream to vacate their homes," Peterson said.
He said they were also in the process of laying sand bags on the wall of the dam just in case the rains resume.
"The people are not out of danger yet, the situation remains critical."
Council official opening flood gates
Council official opening flood gates
Flood gates
Some photos courtesy of Radio Dialogue
The dam, Manningdale Dam, located behind Kabott Drive started spilling on Friday night according to BCC chief fire officer Richard Peterson.
Peterson said the dam that started overflowing due to a combination of rains and inflow from rivers upstream destroyed maize and potato crops at the local plots while a few houses had been flooded.
"We got a call at 5am today and quickly attended the scene. As you can see, we have opened the floodgates so that the water goes downstream to reduce pressure and over spilling. We pray that it doesn't rain today," Peterson said.
He said City Council officials were evacuating families downstream including Manningdale, Riverside, Lockview, Mahatshula and Parklands.
"Our officers have been deployed to all the bridges along the stream up to where the stream connects with Umguza River," Peterson said.
He said it was unfortunate that the Civil Protection Unit had not reported on the site of the dam.
"We have been forced by circumstances to assists but this is the duty of the civil protection unit, they are the ones who are supposed to rescue the residents here and do all the work that we are doing. We were hoping that by now they would have sent a helicopter to warn residents downstream to vacate their homes," Peterson said.
He said they were also in the process of laying sand bags on the wall of the dam just in case the rains resume.
"The people are not out of danger yet, the situation remains critical."
Council official opening flood gates
Council official opening flood gates
Flood gates
Some photos courtesy of Radio Dialogue
Source - Byo24News
