Flash flood warning for Joburg

Motorists and pedestrians have been urged to take extra care on the roads this weekend with flash floods imminent.

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Johannesburg - Motorists and pedestrians have been urged to take extra care on the roads this weekend with flash floods imminent.

The City of Joburg has issued a warning saying those who approach low-lying bridges or are near rivers or streams, should be wary.

“The current heavy rains in Joburg can lead to flash floods that may endanger the lives of people and cause damage to homes, vehicles and properties,” said Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) acting managing director, Mpho Kau.

“Large volumes of water are dropped within a brief period and sudden floods can occur with little or no advance warning.”

Kau said the persistent rainfall, which occurred in the city from last week, could cause drowning which was a major cause of death during flash floods, with 80 percent of fatalities occurring among occupants of vehicles.

“Drivers often underestimate the dangers of flooding, especially at low-lying bridges, where as little as 30cm of water can float vehicles and result in the driver losing control,” he said.

In a bid to control the effects of flash floods, Kau said the city would spend R120 million on low-lying bridges to raise them above the floodline.

The JRA has also identified “hotspot flood areas” as parts of Soweto including Dobsonville and Orlando East and West, Eldorado Park, Diepsloot and Orange Farm.

“Improvements are being made to the stormwater systems to facilitate drainage and minimise the potential for flooding.”

“The current construction on the M1 freeway to rehabilitate the bridges (Oxford and Federation) includes significant upgrades to the storm-water system.”

The JRA urges commuters to refrain from trying to drive through flooded areas, to retreat to higher ground if their vehicle stalls, never to drive into water that covers the road and not to allow children to play near drainage ditches or stormwater drains.

A climatologist at the South African Weather Service, Musa Mkhwanazi, said though there had been more rainfall than was normal for this time of year, it was not enough to alleviate the devastating effects of the drought.

In the first 10 days of this month, Mkhwanazi said Gauteng received more than 200mm of rain.

“We cannot say if this pattern will continue until the end of the month,” he added.

karishma.dipa@inl.co.za

kgopi.mabotja@inl.co.za

The Star