Army to blow up dams in the Kruger National Park – Here’s why

The Sirheni Dam during floods in the Kruger National Park. Picture: Supplied For almost two weeks, explosives will be heard in the Kruger National Park (KNP) as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) demolishes the Kanniedood and Sirheni dams. The demolition will happen from Monday, 9 March, until Friday, 20 March.

The S50 road near Shingwedzi, between the S134 and S143 junctions, and the S57 road that starts at the Shisha crossing and meets the Sirheni bush camp detour will be closed from 8 March until 21 March. KNP ranger teams and SANDF teams will be on standby to extinguish any wildfires that may start during the explosions. The crew will fly over the area right before the blasts to confirm that no tourists, animals or staff are near the target.

Teams will also clear the ground around the dams to protect animals and people. The destruction of the Kanniedood dam is part of a years-long operation to remove man-made infrastructure from river systems. The January 2013 floods breached the southern anchors of the Kanniedood dam wall. It caused a river to open a new channel bypassing the dam wall on the southern bank of the Shingwedzi River.