Rising water levels in the Lower Orange River region of South Africa's Northern Cape are impacting agricultural operations. The Orange River, influenced by overflow from the Vaal and Gariep dams, has reached levels last observed during the 2011 flood.
Johannes Louw, a farmer in Upington, reports that lucerne production is already affected, and there is a potential threat to next year's grape harvest. He states, "Lucerne will drown. Lucerne will not survive, but the positive side is that the grapes have been harvested, so there are no losses for the grapes. It can only be for next year if there are damages to the farm."
The situation has caused concern among farmers, as Gabriel Viljoen, Chairperson of the Orange River Producers Association, notes that some fields are submerged. Viljoen explains, "It has a big impact due to the water volumes which have risen over the past few days in the lower vineyards that are already covered in water... after a period of two weeks, the vines basically die, then you have to replace them at a huge cost."
Wiaan Van Rensburg, Vice President of Agri Northern Cape, highlights potential infrastructure damage. He warns, "If the water levels rise because of the flood walls that were not done correctly after the 2011 floods, the water can overflow into agricultural land, and it can cause infrastructure problems."
The current flow reaches 4300 cubic meters per second, significantly higher than the usual 30 to 50 cubic meters per second. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.
Source: SABC News