'Shocking': 90% of SA's largest dams don’t comply with safety standards

An alarming 90% of South Africa's largest dams are not compliant with safety evaluation standards even as infrastructure continues to deteriorate, posing serious risks for dam failures, which would have devastating consequences for water supply.

Recent information presented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to Parliament shows that of the 20 large dams owned by the department, only two comply with dam safety evaluation requirements, posing the risk that major issues are going unaddressed.