Sol Plaatje Dam (or Saulspoort Dam) is an earth-fill type

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

located at the confluence of the As and Liebenbergsvlei Rivers near

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, Free State,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It was established in 1968 and serves mainly for municipal and domestic water supply. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked high. The reservoir receives water from the

Lesotho Highlands Water Project The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is an ongoing water supply project with a hydropower component, developed in partnership between the governments of Lesotho and South Africa. It comprises a system of several large dams and tunnels thr ...

via the As River. Originally known as Saulspoort Dam, it was officially renamed on 1 April 2005, recalling the bus disaster which took place there in the early hours of 1 May 2003, when 51 passengers, en route to a Workers Day rally, were drowned. 41 of the workers were employees of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, Sol Plaatje Municipality (Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley).Drama at bus tragedy service
News24.com 5 May 2003 retrieved 16 Aug 2013

References

External lists

List of South African Dams
from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (South Africa) Dams in South Africa Dams completed in 1968 {{SouthAfrica-dam-stub

See also

References

External lists