Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says disaster teams are working to mitigate the impact of flooding and severe weather in several parts of the metro.
This after a series of cold fronts made landfall at the
start of the week, with more rain, according to the South African Weather
Service, expected.
PICTURE: City of Cape TownHill-Lewis visited the Keyser River near Tokai on Thursday, where teams were working to mitigate flooding, and Heideveld, for mop-up operations to clear suburban flooding.
‘’We’ve seen several rivers burst their banks in Cape Town,
including the Eersteriver/Kuilsirver, affecting parts of Zandvlei and Macassar,
and the Mosselbank River, impacting Klipheuwel and Philapdelphia, as well as
mudslides in the Oudeskip area near Hangberg in Hout Bay.’’
‘’Today [Thursday] I witnessed a major City effort to
excavate the Keyser River near Tokai where teams are removing silt and
vegetation, and diverting water within the catchment to help reduce the flow
into river. This should further alleviate the localised flooding which has
affected businesses and the Melomed Hospital in the area. I was also encouraged
to see officials making progress on restoring flooded streets in Heideveld, as
they have been doing in communities across the City,’’ he added.
Update: I’ve just visited the Keyser River where @CityofCT teams are cutting channels into the wetland to allow for faster water runoff.
This will help drain water faster upstream where areas are waterlogged. pic.twitter.com/vQGVLYFzNK
The Cape Town Mayor says dams that supply Cape Town with
drinking water saw a sharp increase and stood at 86,1% by Thursday afternoon. He
says three gates have been opened to release water from Wemmershoek Dam into
the linking rivers for safety reasons.
‘’Rainfall data recorded since the beginning of June at
dams that supply the city, shows rainfall to be well in excess of long term
averages for this time of year,’’ said Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor.
‘’Due to heavy rains, for the first time in more than 25
years, the City’s Bulk Water team opened three gates to release water from
Wemmershoek Dam into the linking rivers for safety reasons because it was
starting to exceed its capacity. This intensive, co-ordinated phased operation
was done carefully since Tuesday 13 June, in consultation with neighbouring
municipalities to mitigate the risk of damage to properties downstream. The
City is monitoring all its dams closely,’’ he added.
At least 25 areas across the metro have experienced
storm-related outages since the start of the week. Hill-Lewis says the City’s Informal
Settlements Management Department is also assessing all flood-hit areas.
‘’Teams are currently out in high-risk areas to provide
assistance to relevant City departments where water needs to be removed. NGOs are further assisting with humanitarian
relief for residents of affected informal settlements, among them the Mother
Soup Kitchen and Ashraful Aid International. The City is also providing milling
and sand where feasible,’’ said said Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor.
He urged residents to stay safe, and remain indoors where
possible, and not attempt to cross flooding water in canals or rivers.
Done By: Mitchum George
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