When rain hits, the city turns on its residents, as flash floods cause congested traffic, accidents and general chaos. On 31 January mother nature again bared her fangs, washing away any hopes of an ‘easy commute Friday’ as the heavens opened and endangered lives on the road. In Douglasdale, slippery roads caused a truck to smash through a wall; flash floods in Diepsloot endangered the lives of two men as they were nearly washed away; while on the M1 north, at the double-decker Crown Interchange, insufficient drainage caused the inbound lane to be flooded on the top deck as water seeped onto the road, reducing the four-lane carriageway to a meagre one. But, according to City of Johannesburg deputy director Linda Phalatse, a plan is in place. Ahead of the C40 Summit on Climate Change, world mayors will descend on the city to find out what is being done to ensure cities work with the environment, not against it. Storm water management has become a key point of discussion, according to Phalatse, as Johannesburg emerged as one of the places with insufficient natural drainage due to rapid urban development.
The impact of climate change, coupled with waning open spaces, spells disaster
“Loss of natural open space has reduced the city’s management of floods, ultimately increasing the cost of hard engineering [to fix the problem],” she said. The impact of climate change, coupled with waning open spaces, spells disaster. The city is however on the cusp of major changes, as the first draft of a consolidated infrastructure plan, with long-term planning, has been completed. As a developing ‘smart city’, Johannesburg will implement run-off storm water as a potential water resource. The aim is to use existing infrastructure, expand on it and create a system where run-off water is quickly drained from roads and then stored. In 2014 the City will spend an estimated R110 billion on infrastructure. This includes a review of existing road design and construction standards, building robust and resilient infrastructure to reduce flooding to downstream areas. Though there is a plan, the threat of floods have become a real concern. 80 percent of deaths during floods involve cars Water drainage due to recent heavy rains led the Johannesburg Roads Agency to urge residents to take care. They said floods have become life-threatening. “More lives are lost during floods than in any other weather-related event and in areas where strong water build-up occurs, drowning is the leading cause of death, with 80 percent of deaths occurring in vehicle incumbents,” cautioned Skhumbuzo Macozoma, managing director of the roads agency. “It often happens when drivers underestimate the dangers of navigating through flood waters, especially at low-lying bridges where as little as 30cm of water is enough to float most vehicles causing the driver to lose control.” Pedestrians are also at risk of being washed away, especially those walking through flooded areas. He mentioned that floodwater is unsafe and can carry sewage, chemicals from roads, farms, factories and storage buildings, and should be considered a health hazard. Safety tips for floods Motorists
- Do not attempt to drive through flooded areas, even if the water looks shallow enough to cross
- If your vehicle stalls, leave it immediately and seek higher ground
- Never drive into water that covers the road – you do not know how deep it is or whether the road underneath has been washed away. Reduce speed significantly to avoid vehicle floating.
- Look out for flooding on highway dips and bridges, especially low-lying bridges
- Exercise caution, especially at night when visibility is poor.
Pedestrians
- If a flash flood is likely, move to higher ground immediately. You cannot out-run a flash flood
- Keep away from places that are likely to flood, such as ditches or dry stream beds
- Avoid areas that are flooded
- Avoid areas where water is flowing rapidly
- Never attempt to run across flooding water if the water level is above your ankles
- Do not walk into or near high water
- Keep children away from playing in drainage ditches and storm water drains.
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