The Neckartal Dam, nicknamed the Desert Dragon, is a dam located in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is a curved gravity dam on the Fish River near Berseba, c. 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of the regional capital Keetmanshoop. Construction started in 2013 and was initially expected to finish in 2017. Since its completion in 2018, it is the largest dam in Namibia, more than three times the capacity of the Hardap Dam upstream. The dam's purpose is to support a 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) irrigation scheme nearby.[1]

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Neckartal Dam
Aerial view of Neckartal Dam (2019)
Location of Neckartal Dam in Namibia
Country	Namibia
Location	Berseba, ǁKaras Region
Coordinates	26°37′55″S 017°43′04″E
Construction began	2013
Opening date	October 2019
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Curved gravity dam
Impounds	Fish River
Height	80 m (260 ft)
Length	518 m (1,699 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity	880×10^6 m3 (1.15×109 cu yd)
Catchment area	45,365 km2 (4,536,500 ha)
Surface area	25 km2 (2,500 ha)
Power Station
Turbines	2 x Francis turbines, 1.5 MW each
Installed capacity	3 MW

Construction

The idea to construct a dam near Keetmanshoop already came up during the German colonialisation. Upon Namibian independence in 1990, the planning slowly started.[1] Although hailed as a promising job creation project, particularly after commission due to the purpose as an irrigation dam, there were doubts over the necessity to build it. Naute Dam in the same area, likewise an irrigation dam, is under-utilised. However, for an irrigation scheme of 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) as envisaged for the Neckartal Dam, Naute Dam was deemed too small.[2]

Italian company Salini Impregilo was awarded the 2.8 billion N$ tender to build the dam in March 2012. After a legal challenge by one competitor, the tender was withdrawn but reawarded to the same company in August 2013. Construction started it within a month. Originally planned to take 3 years, the project has been delayed by a court case and labour unrest. Its completion occurred in October 2018, after which the filling-up phase was expected to last another two years. The dam overflowed for the first time on 19 January 2021. [3][1][4]

Building process

• 
  Aerial view of Neckartal Dam under construction in October 2016
• 
  Aerial view of Neckartal Dam under construction in October 2017
• 
  Neckartal Dam near completion April 2018

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References

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