COMMUNITIES living near the De Hoop Dam in Limpopo are at risk of being swept away.

The dam was said to be overflowing yesterday - at 185% of capacity - due to recent rains.

There are fears the dam could soon burst its banks, putting residents of Kutullo, Ma-Seven and GaMalekana, near Steelpoort, at risk.

The dam, which was built on the Steelpoort River, has a wall 1 015m long and 81m high .

The Sekhukhune district municipality and the department of water and sanitation have set up emergency response teams to deal with any eventuality.

Municipality spokesman Willie Mosoma said yesterday that the dam was beginning to spill over but was being monitored closely.

"We call on people living along the dam to be on the lookout as the dam is overflowing," Mosoma said.

He said traditional leaders in the area have been told to warn people living on or below the flood line of the danger.

Ironically, the dam has not been supplying water to the villagers.

It falls under the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Commission established by President Jacob Zuma in 2012 and was officially opened by the president in March last year.

But to date it has not been servicing residents of the province despite the fact that the pipeline from the dam to Jane Furse was completed three years ago.

However, the Steel Bridge Water Treatment Plant, which was given the responsibility by Lepelle Northern Water to purify the water and supply to communities, is not ready.

Mechanical works are delaying the process. And this has not gone down well with the Sekhukhune municipality.

Lepelle Northern Water could not be reached for comment ahead of going to print yesterday.

frankm@sowetan.co.za

For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays