What’s causing flooding?
Staff from a neighbouring property at 3 Watt Street can be seen bathing on the balcony of the building and also urinating in full view of passing traffic.
After Metrowatch intervened, Joburg City Parks and Zoo said it would urgently register the trees on this street for pruning.
The JRA said it would ensure that signage and markings became more visible and the weeds were cleared.
MAIA JAMES WRITES:
Could you answer a few questions about the homeless people and the drainage problem mentioned in an article “Blame the severe Joburg floods on the homeless”, which states the homeless contribute to flooding because they sleep and leave their belongings in drains?
Has there been any attempt to solve the problem? For instance, finding them another place to camp or giving them a bag to keep their stuff together and away from the drains?
Are there other causes that contribute to flooding, for instance rubbish?
Any other info that could possibly help would be much appreciated.
THE JRA REPLIES:
There are multiple factors that contribute to blocked stormwater drains which is often exacerbated by non-biodegradable and biodegradable pollutants, increased amount of sand due to run-offs during heavy storms, increased water levels in relation to the stormwater design capacity.
“Flooding can be caused by the severity of the storm like the heavy rains in November last year. No urban stormwater drainage system can be designed to cope with such quantities of water over a short period of time. It would be too expensive to install the size of pipes required.
“We have ageing infrastructure that requires rehabilitation or improvement to be able to cope better. The JRA does not have the funds required to address all the challenges related to ageing infrastructure, but we are engaged in a variety of projects to address this.
“There are backlogs of infrastructure. For example, the development of townships with no stormwater infrastructure. The city is investing in the upgrading of its stormwater infrastructure at the same time as maintaining and renewing the existing (ageing) infrastructure.
“Roads, at times, are flooded due to the stormwater drains being blocked. The JRA has maintenance teams who regularly clean them. We are implementing a programme to improve the regularity and thoroughness of this cleaning work.
“Unfortunately, blocked stormwater drains are occasionally a cause of flooding. One of our challenges is that some residents illegally dump waste into the stormwater system which causes blockages. We appeal to the people of Joburg not to do this.”