14 July at 10:00 - Drakenstein - Good news for evacuated Newton residents as authorities give them green light to return

Good news for evacuated Newton residents as authorities give them green light to return

It is good news for the approximately 900 evacuated households of Newton, Wellington, as they have been given the green light to return home.

Working in consultation with the Department of Water and Sanitation and a dam engineering specialist, Drakenstein Municipality’s Engineering Services department performed another onsite inspection this morning of the farm dam above Newton and confirmed that the risk of dam wall failure has been mitigated.

This decision was taken in light of the fact that the water level of 150 000-cubic-meter dam in the Bo-Dal area dropped slightly since last night, as well as the lighter rainfall predicted for today. According to the authorities, the dam should be able to handle the flow of water that is expected to reach it today.

The Municipality will keep on monitoring the dam closely and notify residents immediately should the situation change.

Residents from Newton – in particular the section between Jan van Riebeeck Drive and the Bo-Dal Road – have been evacuating the area voluntarily since Tuesday night (9 July 2024) when it was established that the dam wall was at failure risk.

In the meanwhile, the South Africa Police Service, Drakenstein Municipality’s Fire and Law Enforcement Services, and a neighbourhood watch have been patrolling the area to ensure the safety of residents’ properties.