The 10 largest dams in South Africa are the Gariep Dam, Krugersrust Dam, De Hoop Dam, Vaal Dam, Bloemhof Dam, Sterkfontein Dam, Ridgeway and Heyshope Dams, Grootdraai Dam, and Tzaneen Dam.
1. Gariep Dam:
The Gariep Dam is the largest dam in South Africa, spanning 690 meters long and more than 66 meters high. It has a tremendous storage capacity of 5,407 million cubic meters, and the reservoir it forms is called the South African National Special Purpose Water Reservoir. This dam is part of the Orange River Basin Development Program.
2. Vaal Dam:
The Vaal Dam is situated in Gauteng on the Vaal River and has a surface area of 320 square kilometers and a capacity of 5,277 million cubic meters. This dam provides water for Pretoria, Johannesburg and other towns located close to it by irrigating about 850 hectares of land for crop farming as well as municipal water supply needs.
3. Vander Kloof Dam:
The Vanderkloof Dam is located on the Orange River in South Africa, and it has a maximum storage capacity of 4,166 million cubic meters. Its firm yields are regulated to fulfill domestic industrial and agricultural demands along with electricity generation needs within the Western Cape Province, Free State Province, and Northern Cape Province.
4. De Hoop Dam:
The De Hoop Dam is situated on the Moordkuil River near Colesberg Town in the Northern Cape province, South Africa. It has an overall storage capacity of 3,320 million cubic meters, covering an area of 80 square kilometers with a length of 8 kilometers. This dam serves dual purposes such as flood control while providing drinking water to local communities nearby areas like Hanover, Colesberg etc.
5. Bloemhof Dam:
Locally referred to as Makgowanervier Plaasstoomsluitdam this huge weight bearing dam stretches 2 kilometers across the Vaal river that separates North West province from Free State province in South Africa forming Albert Falls Nature reserve near it having a full storage capacity up to 3296 million cubic meters.
6. Wonder fontein spruit Dam:
Situated between Bela-Bela townships, this was constructed in 1961 to store excess summer floods. It has a total volume capacitance of up to 2840 million cubic meters and serves irrigation purposes. It is one of five dams connected remotely through the Bankenfontein Tunnel, which connects them all at Loskop Reservoir, maintaining a steady flow rate during dry season times.
7. Klipvoor/Kuiperspruit Dams:
A collective name given for two operational reservoirs located very close sharing approximately 40 percent common quantity (2402 million cubic meter) each one built primarily utilized for flood control yet acts greatest source supplying vast volumes to many mines located within radius vicinity besides yielding high quality water even during lean periods.
8. Flag Boshielo and Nandoni Dams:
Formed out of two independent basins created from the Nandoni Main & Inyati Rivers and appropriately conjoined, they are named Flag Boshielo & Nandoni, respectively, and release total volume capacitance nearing 2230 million cubic meters. They are operated jointly, and this large combined body stores exudates primarily catering to municipal requirements.
9. Henderson/Colesberg Dreunen Dams:
Shared terrains consisting 1180&110 Million respectively carrying equal importance yet fulfilling quite diversely when these adjacent staggered walls drink ample while bringing smiles around both Colesberg & Henderson regions whenever they feel thirsty.
10. Wilge/Verkykerskop/Deneysville Dams:
Along confluence zone dividing Middelburg district widely set thrice drying seasonal pumps caters its renowned districts upon ample rainfall specially catered Wilge etches 340M while Verkykerskop & Deneysville boasting nearly 1370m & 1220M cumulative stocked exclusively meant availing neighboring required solution.
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