Tips to help prevent flooding during upcoming winter months
29 April 2021
The City of Cape Town encourages residents living in informal settlements to help reduce the impact of flooding this winter season. The City performs various services to reduce this risk caused by heavy rains across the metro, but especially in more vulnerable areas such as informal settlements. In most instances, residents have settled in flood-prone areas, including in water retention ponds, on road reserves or on wetlands and are encouraged to play their part in reducing the impact of flooding.
A number of City departments, including Informal Settlements Management, Roads and Stormwater and Disaster Risk Management, do their utmost to help residents by constructing canals to lead flood water away from affected areas where possible and monitoring high risk priority areas on a daily basis to determine flooding risks, while giving advice to residents on how to reduce risks.
The extreme increase in mostly large-scale, organised unlawful land occupations, often with the involvement of so called ‘shack-farming’ syndicates over the Covid-19 lockdown period and while the national crisis regulations remain in effect, have led to the establishment of new settlements on flood-prone land in many parts of the metro such as in Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein and Mfuleni.
Majority of settlements are in flood-prone areas
The majority of the unlawful occupations have happened on land that is not suitable for human habitation, such as in flood-prone wetlands, low-lying areas and even in water retention ponds or on the slopes of loose, sandy nature reserve land that will get eroded by wind and rain.
Growing informality
‘This winter season will likely be particularly difficult for us and our residents due to increased informality brought on by the unlawful occupations. As with most cities in South Africa, informality is a pronounced feature due to increased urbanisation, which has been made worse by the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 and the lockdown.
‘The demand for accommodation brings about a number of specific challenges, such as unplanned settlements that are located on flood-prone, lower lying areas or in wetlands or retention ponds.
‘The high densities without planned and dedicated emergency access ways make it difficult to deliver basic and emergency services in particularly times of fire and floods. Often the settlements are formed on private land or land where services cannot or may not be delivered. The City does what it can to deliver housing opportunities, upgrade informal settlements and prepare for flooding and other natural disasters, and partnerships are key.
‘The Covid-19 crisis also presents its own set of challenges with the risks of virus spread and City staff thin on the ground attending to all types of crises. Work continues but we ask our residents and communities to help and to implement some no cost tips to reduce the risk of flooding. Making a DIY sandbag and digging furrows around dwellings are two simple ideas for residents to implement,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.
The City’s Human Settlement’s Directorate spent approximately 98% of its budget in the 2019/2020 financial year, which shows the City is delivering, but the need is immense.
Help to reduce flood risk:
Clear out drainage systems
Raise the floor level of a structure so that it is higher than the natural ground level
Make sandbags
Dig trenches around the house to divert water away from the house
Report blocked drains, intakes and illegal dumping – illegal dumping in the stormwater canals and sewers make flooding worse
Waterproof roofs, clear gutters and remove dead tree branches
How to make a sandbag:
Cut off the arms of a long-sleeved top and tie the bottom end to close it
Fill up with sand. If you don’t have enough sand, use a mixture of sand and soil
Close the top end and place the sandbag outside and inside the door or doorway
If you do not have a long-sleeved top, you can use old pillow cases or the legs of long pants filled and tied on either of the open ends or black bags
The risk of fires during winter especially is also huge. Never leave an open flame unattended.
Emergencies can be reported to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialing 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
