EThekwini municipality and Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane are planning to permanently relocate Lamontville flood victims to a piece of land owned by the municipality in Hammarsdale.
The municipality has promised swift relocation of the 229 Lamontville flood victims, highlighting that interim services, such as water and sanitation, will be provided at the site to ensure it is habitable.
Cyril Xaba, the eThekwini mayor, said the destruction of infrastructure and loss of life have been heartbreaking.
Capacity of stormwater system raises concern
He explained that floods were largely caused by constant heavy rains, the capacity of the stormwater systems, as well as the debris carried by the stormwater.
“It is important to indicate that flooding during heavy rains is related mainly to the size of the storm event and the capacity of the stormwater systems, as well as the nature of the debris carried by the stormwater into the stormwater systems.
“Therefore, we are constantly pleading with both residents and businesses to dispose of waste in designated areas,” said Xaba.
He said the eThekwini stormwater systems are designed to manage a storm event that occurs once every ten years at critical points.
With the recurring floods, he said, it is important to assess the current infrastructure capacity and understand the risks of exceeding that capacity.
“Given the increasing frequency and magnitude of such catastrophic events caused by flooding in the eThekwini area, the city has embarked on many initiatives to reduce the risk of flooding and its impact on people’s lives and infrastructure,” said Xaba.
Efforts to minimise flooding
As part of these efforts, he said, the municipality has launched measures to minimise flooding risks.
He said this includes the Sihlanzimvelo pilot programme, which he said involves the maintenance of approximately 500km of streams in high-risk areas.
Xaba explained that the municipality is also revising the flood lines to consider the potential effects of climate change, such as a 15% increase in rainfall intensity.
“We are confident that these interventions will further climate-proof new development in the city. Technical teams are currently being appointed to conduct a detailed assessment to identify possible solutions to government-developed properties,” said Xaba.
