| Berg River Dam | |
|---|---|
 An aerial view of the Berg River Dam | |
  Location of Berg River Dam in South Africa | |
| Official name | Berg River Dam |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Western Cape |
| Coordinates | 33°54′09″S 19°03′25″E / 33.90240°S 19.057000°E |
| Purpose | Drinking water, storage |
| Opening date | 2009 |
| Owner(s) | Department of Water and Sanitation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Berg River |
| Height | 68 metres (220 ft) |
| Length | 929 metres (1,016 yd) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Berg River Dam Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 130,000 megalitres (130 hm3) |
| Surface area | 4.88 square kilometres (1.88 sq mi) |
The Berg River Dam is a 68-metre (223 ft) high dam on the Berg River in South Africa. It is the centerpiece of the Berg Water Project (BWP) which is designed to capture the winter rainfall and store it for supply to Cape Town during the dry summer months. The project in turn forms an important part of the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS), an intricate system of dams and bulk water infrastructure that provides water to more than 3 million people. At the inauguration of the dam in 2009, then President of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe called the project "a good example of how public infrastructure projects can be used to contribute meaningfully to poverty eradication and to foster social empowerment of the people."[1] The Berg River Dam was the first dam in South Africa to be designed and constructed in accordance with the guidelines of the World Commission on Dams.[2] It has been completed on time and within budget.[3] The Berg River basin and the adjacent metropolitan area of Cape Town are of particular importance to the Western Cape region because, although the basin generates only about 3% of the country's water resources, it is home to about 8% of South Africa's population, and produces about 12% of GDP.[4]
The Berg River Dam (Autshumato Dam) was completed in 2007 at cost of R1,5 billion. It was designed and built in accordance with the United Nations World Commission on Dams, to provide water for Cape Town.
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