Hazelmere Dam Spillover Warning Reaches Umdloti River

Heavy rain in January 2025 pushed water levels up behind Hazelmere Dam, which feeds the Umdloti River, prompting uMngeni-uThukela Water to warn downstream residents, including in Umdloti, of rising river levels. The dam wall had recently been raised by 7 m to boost water storage and supply capacity for eThekwini and iLembe district, part of a longer-running regional water-security project.

The exact day of the warning within January 2025 was not stated in the source. This entry is dated to mid-January as a placeholder, not sourced to a specific date.

This kind of warning matters for Umdloti specifically because the village sits at the Umdloti River mouth, downstream of the dam, and has a documented history of flood damage. The April 2022 KZN floods were the most severe, destroying roads, bridges and the water treatment system around Bellamont Road. A raised dam wall means more stored water upstream, which is good for supply security in normal conditions but raises the stakes of any spillway release during a heavy-rain event.

No flooding or property damage in Umdloti itself was reported in connection with this specific January 2025 warning; it appears to have been a precautionary alert rather than a realised flood event.