Flood monitoring
Vaal River high-flow event
ModerateVaal catchment · Free State · Feb 2021
Flood extent
388 km²
38 800 hectares
Normal water extent
96 km²
Settlements affected
23
Modelled from settlement footprints
People affected (est.)
54 000
Before / after comparison
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At peak, inundation covered 388 km² — roughly 4.0× the normal water extent for this reach.
Event summary
Managed dam releases combined with catchment runoff inundated low-lying riverside plots and access roads.
Extent derived from Sentinel-1 SAR water/non-water classification; settlement counts are modelled estimates for decision support, not verified damage assessments.