Flooding blamed on poor infrastructure
Ngala also blamed the community who uses the municipality's manhole as a dumping site for their rubbish and building debris.
KANYAMAZANE – Old damaged pipes, illegal dumping and gravel roads are being blamed for the recent flooding in Section 1 of this township.
“The storm-water drainage system of KaNyamazane is very susceptible to blockages, especially during heavy rains. It is caused by increased soil erosion of gravel roads because most of our roads remain unsurfaced,” said Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for the City of Mbombela.
This comes after several residents in this section spent the night of November 9 on their feet as great volumes of water rushed in beneath their doors into their houses. This left their belongings such as furniture, bedding and blankets floating in water. Brick walls were also destroyed by excess water that could not be accommodated by the drainage systems.
The story made headlines in the Mpumalanga News edition of November 17 under the headline, “Lack of decent infrastructure causes flooding”.
Also read: Storm affects Kanyamazane homes
Ngala says there are various reasons why some storm-water drains in the township are difficult to maintain. He said the municipality has only one high pressure washer for the whole area, which is currently in for repairs. He added that some of the drain systems are fairly old and need to be upgraded. The design of the storm-water drains also makes maintenance difficult as manholes are too small and too far apart.
Ngala also blamed the community who uses the municipality’s manhole as a dumping site for their rubbish and building debris. “The public must be made aware of the importance of keeping our drainage free from illegal dumping,” he said. Some of the drain outlets in Section 1 have been closed down by residents who build houses there.
In the same article, the residents pleaded with the municipality to make means to secure open drains as they pose danger to both children and adults.
In response, Ngala said some of the drains on newly constructed roads were left incomplete and full of sand by some contractors.
He added that some covers were allegedly stolen by the residents who sold them at scrapyards for monetary benefit.
“We struggle to constantly replace stolen angle irons for supporting our cover slabs to close off open drains. All these challenges need the attention from the municipality’s roads and storm-water section,” he concluded.
