Crops at risk as Hardap Dam nears critically low levels

Niël Terblanché Farmers on the Hardap Irrigation Scheme are growing increasingly anxious as the critically low levels of the Hardap Dam continue to be exacerbated by a prolonged period of inadequate rainfall. The looming threat of crop failures looms large, and farmers are sounding the alarm about the dire consequences this may have on both agriculture and the surrounding communities. Dawie De Klerk, Chairperson of the Hardap Farmers Association, paints a grim picture of the situation, noting that the water level in the Hardap Dam has already plummeted to 18.1 percent. This alarming drop in reservoir capacity threatens to disrupt…