The last few days have been absolutely wet for the City of Cape Town. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have wreaked havoc throughout the city, which has resulted in electrical faults, multiple accidents and localised flooding, as per News24.
Informal settlements such as Khayelitsha and Philippi have been particularly affected by the downpour, with Philippi ward councillors expressing their concerns regarding the flooding of roads.
According to IOL, ward councillor of Philippi Nkululeko Mgolombane stated that the flooding of roads in townships could become a health hazard. While the problem has been consistently reported to the City of Cape Town every year, nothing has been resolved.
“It’s a big mess and community members are desperate, as they are forced to live in flooded roads. The issue of flooded roads has been reported since as early as 2016, when I came into office, but they remain unresolved.
“Flooded roads lead to fatal accidents and pose a sanitation risk. We are heading into the third wave of the pandemic, but are facing the situation where people are forced to live surrounded by dirty water,” stated Mgolombane.
Ward councillor of Philippi East Fikiswa Nkunzana gave her two cents on the matter, explaining that the problem is caused by faulty stormwater infrastructure drains that the City has been utilising.
“The Western Cape experiences a lot of rainfall during winter. Due to problems in our draining systems, these storm drainage systems get filled with sand and debris, and cause drains to block,” said Nkunzana.
As a result, the drain water infrastructure is unable to cope with the number of residents that occupy these draining systems, reports IOL. However, the City of Cape Town has urged township residents to avoid dumping objects and debris into the stormwater system.
Picture: Cape Town ETC Gallery
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