Residents stranded on islands due to flooding
GIFT of the Givers teams are assisting residents of Keimoes after the rapid rising waters of the Orange River left them stranded on various islands after the flood gates of the Vaal Dam were opened recently.
A portion of the R27 road to Keimoes was closed on February 26 by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) and provincial traffic, following reports of localised flooding along certain low-lying portions of the road due to dams overflowing upstream in the Orange River.
Gift of the Givers Northern Cape community liaison officer Emily Thomas said they were working with disaster management teams as well as local and district mayors to provide aid and food hampers to the residents stranded on the islands.
“Gift of the Givers hired a helicopter on Tuesday to make sure that the much-needed aid was delivered to the islands,” said Thomas.
Thomas added that a large number of villages were cut off due to the rapid rising water levels and there was a greater number of communities that required assistance.
“The municipality and disaster management could not manage to secure support from the South African National Defence Force to provide air services. Gift of the Givers made arrangements with Boeta Dippenaar of Henley Air to urgently assist. In the meantime, our teams are distributing food hampers, bottled water, hygiene packs and blankets to areas still accessible by road.”
Sanral western region manager Randall Cable stated that engineers found that the road conditions and related damages to the roadway posed a serious safety risk to road users.
“The R27 section 11 will therefore be closed for a period of time, as directed by provincial traffic. The
duration of the planned closure is dependent on water levels, which are influenced by the released water from dams upstream, like the Gariep and Vaal River dam, and repair of any damage this may cause to the roadway.”
Cable said provincial traffic authorities were requested to provide traffic management and law enforcement in facilitating the closure of the road, while Sanral was assisting in providing appropriate signage and barricades at the determined road closure sites.
“Alternative routes will be as directed by provincial traffic.”
He appealed to road users to exercise caution, patience and comply with road signage and speed adjustments in the affected areas for the duration of the road closures.
“We understand the economic impact of road closures to road users, particularly in the freight and long-distance passenger transport sectors, and we will endeavour to reopen the road as quickly as possible, once we effect the repairs which may start as soon as the water levels subside.”