Lack of attenuation increases risk of floods
“Very little thought went into the development and how to deal with run-off water 20 years ago.”
Measures to improve attenuation in surrounding, higher-lying areas could reduce the amount of flooding in the Edenvale area.
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That’s according to Irwin Juckes of Edenvale River Watch, who says attenuation slows the flow of run-off water before it enters a watercourse.
With the slower release of water into streams or spruits, the risk of flooding and related damage is reduced.
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On October 12 the NEWS joined Juckes and Clr Heather Hart on a tour through Edenvale, Meadowdale and Tunney in order to assess attenuation levels in these areas.
Juckes said the majority of the water flowing into Hurlyvale, Eastleigh and Highway gardens comes from Meadowdale, Tunney and Buurendaal.
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When the industrial, higher-lying area was developed, he said, nothing was done to accommodate water run-off.
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“Very little thought went into the development and how to deal with run-off water 20 years ago.”
Since then development has continued to burgeon in the area.
According to Hart, with the construction of so many buildings in the area, a lot of the soil and grass which once absorbed rain water had been replaced with concrete and steel.
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She called for improved attenuation measures in the area in order to remedy the situation.
To achieve this, more attenuation systems would have to be built.
Juckes explained that attenuation types vary and include dams and proper storm-water infrastructure.
New developments are supposed to cater for attenuation on their properties, he added.
“When the Meadowdale and Tunney areas were first developed, the main objective was to get the water away from the area as quick as possible.”
But as further developments followed, all of them intent on diverting their run-off as quickly as they could, the problems for lower-lying areas only increased.
Hart noted, however, that insufficient attenuation is not the only problem – poor maintenance and generally inadequate infrastructure also contribute to flooding.
Along Herman Road, which passes underneath the R24, storm-water infrastructure often gets blocked or cannot cope with the volume of water coming from the industrial area. The result, Hart said, is flooding of the R24 highway.
Good and bad examples of attenuation were shown to the NEWS.
An example of a good attenuation site, built by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), lies between Finger Street and Avondgloed Road.
Here, Hart and Juckes said, the channel is built correctly and is capable of dealing with large volumes of water.
EMM spokesperson Themba Gadebe said certain industries in the Edenvale area had taken the City of Ekurhuleni to court on issues related to the above.
“The matter is under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion,” he said.
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