Good Party urges KZN government to prioritise stormwater drainage

The Good Party in Cape Town is urging the KwaZulu-Natal government to prioritise stormwater drainage in the province.

The party’s secretary-general and MP Brett Herron said this week’s storms are reminiscent of torrential rains that swept the eThekwini Metro in 2019.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group say climate change fuelled heavier rainfall during a series of storms that battered southern Africa in January this year.

‘Government was caught off guard’

On Tuesday, eThekweni mayor Mxolisi Kaunda admitted that local government was caught off guard by the magnitude of Monday’s destructive downpours.

“With these latest floods, it is important for officials to invest in stormwater drainage and other measures to ensure natural disasters are mitigated as much as possible,” said Herron.

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Climate change to blame?

Herron’s statements come as KZN residents blamed the local government for failing to properly maintain roads and overflowing stormwater drains.

“South African hearts are with KZN. As the torrential rains subside, the havoc wreaked by the floods is becoming clearer,” said Herron.

“Weather experts confirm that such severe low-pressure systems forming more than 30 degrees south of the equator are very rare,” explained Herron. 

“The lives lost and damages of this flooding are clearly part of climate change,” he added. 

South Africa remains one of the world’s major CO2 emitters, mainly due to its reliance on coal power generation.

“We must accelerate moves to cleaner energy sources to prevent worsening climate change impacts for ourselves, our neighbouring countries and the world at large,” Herron said.

The current death toll is at 45, but more bodies are being discovered as clean up efforts continue across the province in the storm’s aftermath.

Good Party has joined calls for the national government’s immediate intervention to ensure that much need relief efforts and necessary aid reach those most affected.

The party also urged other provinces to unlock emergency resources and send aid to KZN where necessary. 

“This will help assist the vulnerable and those affected by this environmental calamity,” Herron concluded.

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