“We are going to die here,” that is how Mavis Novoyi summed up her fears as torrential rains continue to wreak havoc in several parts of the province. She says every household on Great Dutch Street, in Gxalaba, Nyanga, is flooding.
“Once the sun comes out our houses will collapse. Every house in the street is flooding. The whole street and other nearby streets are flooding. We are going to die here,” she said, adding that she suffered from arthritis.
When City Vision visited the area yesterday (14 June) residents were stuck inside their homes, with water blocking most roads into the area. Motorists battled to drive around, while some vehicles got stuck on flooded roads.
“I never experienced such rain. We can’t even go to the shop. The water is coming inside the house,” said Novoyi. She said her grandchildren could not go to school as a result.
Ward 38 councillor Suzanne Zumana described the rain as a disaster. She said numerous areas have been affected. “It is not only the formal houses that are affected but the informal areas as well. I informed the City officials about the flooding but there is nothing yet that it has been done. I think the City is waiting for the weather to clear so they can assess the damage,” said Zumana.
In a statement issued by the City through its WhatsApp group on Wednesday 14 June, it reported several informal settlements have experienced flooding across the metropole. It said the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) officials and other departments continued with assessments and responses.
“We appeal to residents to help reduce the flood risk where necessary by: clearing out drainage systems on and around their properties, raising the floor level of their structures so that it is higher than the natural ground level, making sandbags, reporting blocked drains, intakes and illegal dumping (illegal dumping in stormwater canals and sewers exacerbate flooding) and fix leaking roofs,” reads the statement.
Any weather-related emergencies can be directed to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by phoning 021 480 7700 from a cell phone or 107 from a landline.