The Hardap Dam is a dam close to
Mariental in the
Hardap Region
Hardap is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Mariental. Hardap contains the municipality of Mariental, the towns Rehoboth and Aranos, and the self-governed villages Gibeon, Gochas, Kalkrand, Stampriet and Maltahöhe. I ...
of central
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
. Built in 1963 while
Namibia was under South African occupation, the Hardap Dam has been the largest dam in the country for more than five decades. After its completion in 2018, the
Neckertal Dam near Keetmanshoop has at least 3 times the capacity of the Hardap Dam. The Hardap reservoir dams the
Fish River and is home to numerous examples of
wildlife of Namibia.
Description
First envisaged in 1897, Hardap Dam has a capacity of and a surface area of . Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1963.
The Hardap Dam supplies Mariental and the surrounding settlements with potable water. Its location close to the city, however, also poses a danger of flooding when
sluice
A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...
s have to be opened fully due to good rains in the Fish River's
catchment area
A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
.
Reed grasses growing in the riverbed of the Fish River, slow down the flow of water and further aggravate the danger of flooding.
[ (Full information only in the print version)]
Before the dam was built, Mariental was flooded in 1923 and 1934. Floods after the commissioning of the dam occurred in 1972, 1974, 1976, 2000, and 2006. Since then, the dam's water level is kept at a maximum of 70% of its capacity to prevent both an overflow and an uncontrolled outflow through fully opened sluices.
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]
Etymology
The name Hardap derives from the Nama word meaning "nipple" or "wart", which is how the surrounding area of low conical-shaped hills appeared to the early inhabitants. There are fishing spots at various points along the northern shore of the lake. Permits, and a map of permitted fishing areas, are available from the resort office, or from the magistrate's office in Mariental.
Flora and fauna
The area is home to the black rhino,[ gemsbok, Hartmann's zebra, kudu, ostrich, springbok and steenbok.]Great White Pelican
The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...
,[ ]cormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
, darter
The darters, anhingas, or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae, which contains a single genus, ''Anhinga''. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and c ...
and spoonbill
Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...
can be seen on the dam itself, as well as fish eagle and a small number of osprey
The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...
.
The vegetation in the area is classified as dwarf shrub savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
. The following trees occur: camel thorn, wild green-hair tree and buffalo thorn.
Tourism
After a four-year period of renovation[ the dam's recreational sites have been reopened in 2016. Activities at the dam include swimming, fishing, and bird watching. There is a restaurant and a shop.][
]
Gallery
File:HardapDamBirdView.jpg, The dam wall from above, 2016
File:Hardap Damm Schleuse.jpg, View of the dam gates from above
File:South West Africa stamp Hardap Dam 1961.jpg, Postage stamp commemorating the construction of the dam, 1961
File:Steenbok Namibia.jpg, Animals at Hardap Dam: a Steenbok
File:Procavia capensis.jpg, A cape hyrax
File:Boscia foetida.jpg, Close-up of a Smelly Shepherd tree (''Boscia foetida'')
File:Cercomela familiaris.jpg, Familiar Chat
References
{{Authority control
1963 establishments in South West Africa
Dams completed in 1963
Buildings and structures in Hardap Region
Dams in Namibia