Flood damage costs mount
KWAZULU-NATAL’S Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has said the cost of damages to public and private infrastructure after last month’s floods added up to R25 billion.
The department said the devastation was difficult to comprehend, with 445 lives lost, including:
• 386 in eThekwini
• 31 in Ilembe
• 7 in Ugu District
• 4 in King Cetshwayo
• 3 in Harry Gwala
• 2 in uMgungundlovu
• 2 in uMzinyathi
It said 48 people were still unaccounted for, while the lives of 77 600 people had been severely disrupted,
7 286 homes were destroyed and
12 062 homes partially destroyed.
Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka said R1bn had been allocated to the province to deal with flood-related damage.
“We have not received the allocated funds. However, we are in talks with the provincial and national treasuries on processes we need to follow to receive those funds,” said Hlomuka.
He said the department had to restructure its budget to accommodate the flood damage.
To date, disaster management
teams have conducted 748 search operations and more than 168 rescues.
“Disaster management teams are still on the ground and continue to provide support for relief purposes and are searching for the missing,” he said.
The floods also destroyed critical infrastructure that brings water, electricity and sanitation to many communities. Hlomuka said technical teams from affected municipalities had been working round the clock to restore the supply of these services to communities.
With rising concerns about the expected time frames for water infrastructure to be restored, Hlomuka said that water supply restoration had improved to between 70% and 80%
in most regions, and 40% and 45% in the northern region.
Hlomuka said because restoration of water had progressed in most areas, the focus would now be on the protection of resources to minimise deterioration.
“Most water resources (rivers) in eThekwini district have been found to have a significantly high percentage of water contaminants (mainly E.coli)
due to raw sewage spillages owing to water treatment works infrastructure damage,” he said.
He added that this increased the risk of a potential outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid fever.
EThekwini deputy mayor Philani Mavundla said they feared that where sewerage pipes had been damaged, sewage could leak into streams and rivers close to those areas, thereby contaminating that water and environment.