Rain welcomed despite flooding

There were several incidents resulting from rain in Buffalo City Metro on Thursday.

The municipality said Pontoon Road and Settlers Way had seen some flooding, as had Gloucester Road in Vincent, and a vehicle overturned on Batting Road in the morning.

But on Thursday afternoon BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said: “There were no major incidents during the course of the day. Earlier we experienced power outages and floods in rivers.

“Our operations will continue, because we received advice from the weather services that the situation will stay like this.”

Ngwenya said there was vandalism of a substation in Quigney during the day.

The rain was welcomed in the metro and province.

Weekly statistics published by the department of water and sanitation this week show that Eastern Cape dam levels combined stand at 51.5%.

Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said: “The Amathole water supply system ... dropped by a percentage point to 39.7% this week.

“Nahoon Dam outside East London fell from 51.2% to 50.5% and Bridle Drift from 43.1% to 42.9%.”

But Gcuwa Dam, which supplies the Butterworth area in Mnquma municipality, saw a big drop from 81.1% last week to 64.8% this week.

Dams in the OR Tambo district are the only ones in the province near capacity.

Mthatha Dam and Nqadu Dam are both over 94% full.

Dams in the OR Tambo district are the only ones in the province near capacity

Picture: SINO MAJANGAZA CITY SURFERS: Motorists in the Buffalo City Metro area had to be extra careful on the roads on Thursday as roads, including Settlers Way were flooded.