The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry (MAWF) has advised people living along the Orange River to take the necessary precautionary measures as the river continues to rise. Deputy Director of Hydrology in the MAWF, Paulina Mufeti on Saturday told NAMPA that the river water continues to rise due to increased releases from the upstream dams and also as a result of recent heavy rains in the upper catchment areas in the Orange-Senqu Basin. She said the water level at the Blouputs hydrological station has increased to 2,89 metres, compared to 0,36 metres last year. “We need to put out a high alert and a red flag for the Orange River. There was a lot of rainfall because of the tropical cyclone called Eloise. This cyclone caused havoc in Mozambique,” she said. She said the big dams such as Gariep and Vanderkloof which are situated along the Orange River are over 100% full and spilling. “All that water is coming down. And it’s a lot of water. We have to put out a high alert there because there are mines and grape farms in that area,” Mufeti stressed.