Fears of an imminent dam collapse in Mpumalanga have intensified after the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) issued an urgent public alert warning that the Senteeko Dam could fail “without further warning”.

The department has instructed all people living or operating downstream of the dam, located in the Die Kaap River catchment, to evacuate flood-prone areas immediately and comply with directives from disaster management officials and emergency services. DWS has also warned that public access to the dam site is strictly prohibited.

The dam is officially registered with the DWS Dam Safety Office as “My Own Dam”, but is publicly referred to as the Senteeko Dam. It is a 26-metre-high medium-sized dam with an estimated storage capacity of 1.8 million cubic metres, owned by the Shamile Communal Property Association and used mainly for irrigation.

DWS said the risk of failure has been driven by the impact of recent heavy rains in the region. An emergency safety assessment by the department’s Dam Safety Office found that the dam’s spillway structure has suffered severe and irreversible deterioration, including advanced erosion and undercutting, resulting in serious structural instability.

The department warned that if the dam fails, an uncontrolled release of water could pose an immediate threat to downstream communities, infrastructure and the environment.

In an attempt to reduce the immediate danger, an excavator was mobilised to widen the emergency side-channel spillway to help lower water levels. However, DWS has stressed that these steps are temporary risk-reduction measures and do not eliminate the possibility of full or partial failure.

Further assessments are expected as the head of the department’s dam safety unit, Wally Ramokopa, joins a team of engineers on site for additional inspections and monitoring.

Residents in potentially affected areas are urged to take evacuation warnings seriously, avoid river crossings and low-lying roads, and follow only verified updates issued by disaster management structures and the DWS. For official enquiries, DWS has provided contacts including spokesperson Wisane Mavasa (060 561 8935) and Themba Khoza (066 301 6962).