NECKARTAL DAM IS RECEIVING SIGNIFICANT INFLOWS IN NAMIBIA

The newly built Neckartal Dam near Keetmanshoop is receiving significant inflows following an increase in rainfall activity in its catchment area. Neckartal Dam is currently the largest dam in Namibia and the eight largest dam by storage volume in the Southern African region. Neckartal Dam is a curved gravity dam on the Fish River, a tributary of the Orange River.

Project Client: Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry

Contractor: Salini Impregilo S.p.A

Consultant: Knight Piesold Consulting (Pty) Ltd

The construction of Neckartal Dam started in September 2014, and will supply bulk water to a new irrigation scheme located 40km south-west of Keetmanshoop in Namibia. Keetmanshoop has a desert climate, and this project will stimulate economic growth in the Southern Region of Namibia. The project experienced delays, thereby escalating the cost from the initial N$3 billion contract award.

Neckartal dam is 78.5m high, with a crest length of 518m and a gross storage capacity of 857 million m³. The main dam wall contains over 900 000m3 of RCC. The dam outlet releases water through two Francis turbines to an abstraction weir and pumping station located 13km downstream. See videos of this magnificent infrastructure. 

UPDATE: Neckartal dam is officially inaugurated today. It currently has 10.5% water of its full capacity. pic.twitter.com/emI3lV0Lht

— Namibian Sun (@namibiansun) March 13, 2020

WATCH | Vice President Nangolo Mbumba officiating at the inauguration of Neckartal Dam in the //Kharas region. pic.twitter.com/x8s6Oxjskx

— New Era Newspaper (@NewEraNewspaper) March 13, 2020

Source: Knight Piesold Consulting (Pty) Ltd