Mbabane – Following the ongoing flooding and heavy rainfall, the Incomati & Maputo Watercourse Commission (INMACOM) said it is monitoring dams’ overtopping within Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa.
INMACOM Executive Secretary Sindy Mthimkhulu during a public update at the Mbabane offices said engineers and water experts were handling the developments around dam spillways in a coordinated approach.
“They are instantly communicating through WhatsApp on the developments as a crisis management strategy,” Mthimkhulu said.
“The three governments of South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique’s departments of water affairs and other structures including the Joint River Basin Authority, ARA-SUL in Mozambique and Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency are monitoring the situation. It’s very critical that the governments communicate at this time,” she said.
INMACOM said they continue to ease the waterflow as and when it is assessed.
The organisation, issuing the warning, said the ongoing severe storms triggered floods across the Incomati and Maputo River basins and that people must desist from attempting to cross flooded rivers.
“This significant rise in water levels is the result of both local rainfall and water releases from dams. People living downstream are advised to be cautious of rising river levels,” Mthimkhulu said.
INMACOM said the current situation is such that:
- Incomati, Maputo, and Umbeluzi rivers are currently at flood alert level, posing a high risk of flooding downstream.
- Rivers flowing from South Africa and Eswatini into Mozambique are driving dangerous flow increases downstream. Dams and rivers are at full capacity, with several already overflowing.
- Weather experts warn this storm pattern will persist in the coming days.
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