Molteno Dam is a small but historic dam, on the lower slopes of

Table Mountain Table Mountain (; ) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, cableway or hik ...

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Still in service, it was established in 1877 and is now located in the suburb of

Oranjezicht Oranjezicht ( Dutch: '' orange view'') is a suburb in the City Bowl area of Cape Town, South Africa. It was built on the site of the old Oranjezicht farm, which used to stretch at least as far as the Mount Nelson Hotel and supplied the Castle ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

Background and construction

Construction of the Molteno Dam - Cape Colony 1878

In earlier days, the infant settlement of

had been supplied with water from

by way of canals or ''"

gracht ''Gracht'' (; plural: ''grachten'') is a Dutch word for a canal within a city. ''Grachten'' often have a round shape, and form a circle around the city cores in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern Germany. Outside the Netherlands, the word '' ...

s"'' (such as Buitengracht, Kaizergracht and Heerengracht - now major streets). When these canals had to be covered due to public health concerns, the elders of the city agreed on the need to build a dam up on the Table Mountain slope above the growing city, to store water from the mountain's springs. This water would otherwise have flowed directly into the sea - a shameful waste in the eyes of the city's administrators. By the late 1860s, Cape Town was also facing severe water restrictions, partly due to its expanding population. The dam's actual construction was part of a huge expansion of infrastructure that was begun by the government of the country's first Prime Minister

John Molteno Sir John Charles Molteno (; 5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a politician and businessman who served as the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1872 to 1878. Early life Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...

(after whom it was later named), who appointed the Cape's first water engineer Mr John Gamble, as well as the mayor David Graaff. Soon after the dam was opened, the first power-plant in South Africa, the

Graaff Electric Lighting Works The Graaff Electric Lighting Works power station is a decommissioned Hydro-electric and steam power plant located in Cape Town, South Africa at the site of the Molteno Dam. History The plant was the first hydro-electric plant in South Afric ...

(named after the Mayor), was constructed next to the reservoir. The dam was intended to hold over 50,000,000 gallons of water, in sandy porous clay which presented an engineering challenge from the outset. The solution, only implemented years later, involved a mixture of excavation and masonry-supported embankments.

History

The reservoir provided sufficient storage capacity for the young city for decades to come, until massive urbanisation in the 20th century meant drawing on the much larger Western Cape Water Supply System. Several unusual incidents have punctuated the dam's long history. With the invention of the hot air balloon, renowned balloonist Isidore Michaels made an ascent in Cape Town, from the nearby public gardens, in spite of the prevailing winds. To the horror of spectators, his balloon swept towards the mountain and landed in the middle of the dam, entangling and drowning the balloonist. A structural disaster occurred in the 1880s. The reservoir was overfilled and accidentally breached, causing a wave of water to rush down into the city. The deluge destroyed houses, uprooted trees and swept away belongings. Following its repair however, the dam has served

faithfully and still supplies the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

today.

Modern usage

The dam, and the nearby Molteno Spring (one of over 20 springs located in the Cape Town city bowl), form part of the natural waterway that was originally known as "Camissa" (meaning "Sweet Waters" in Khoi). This became part of a network of streams and ''

s'' that historically stretched across early Cape Town. A citizen activated, non-profit community programme is currently underway to restore the city's historic water systems, of which the dam formed a small but crucial part. While the greater city has far out-grown it, the dam is still used as part of the city's modern water system, supplying the

Company's Garden The Company's Garden is a large public park situated in Cape Town CBD - the main commercial district of Cape Town. It is the oldest garden in South Africa, and a national heritage site. The garden was originally created in the 1650s by the ...

among other areas. Together with the adjacent De Waal Park, its premises are currently a free and open recreation area for the community. File:City bowl.jpg, A view of the Cape Town

from Lions Head. Molteno Dam is visible in the centre right of the picture. Due to the city's expansion up the mountain slope, the dam is now completely surrounded by suburbs. File:Oranjezicht From the summit of Table Mountain.jpg, Oranjezicht From the summit of

, with Molteno Dam in the foreground File:Molteno Dam from Belvedere Avenue.jpg, The Molteno Dam from Belvedere Avenue,

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Environmental History of Water - The Molteno Damfacebook.com: Molteno Reservoirfacebook.com: Molteno Hydroelectric power station
— ''provided Cape Town with street lights, while London still used gas lamps''.
RECLAIM CAMISSA's citizen activated Google Map
— ''Cape Town's water infrastructure listed and marked''. Dams in South Africa Buildings and structures in Cape Town Reservoirs in South Africa Dams completed in 1881 1881 establishments in the British Empire 19th-century architecture in South Africa

Background and construction

History

Modern usage

See also

References

External links