Urban drainage woes intensify
Humphreys said a large part of the urban drainage problems could be resolved by allowing storm water to drain naturally to recharge underground aquifers.
Stormwater drainage on private properties has become a contentious issue.
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According to Ward 20 councillor Jill Humphreys, it causes endless neighbourly squabbles.
“Feuding neighbours argue publicly about who should take the storm water and how much of it should be taken,” she said.
And, as the severity of storms in Gauteng increases, many residents have reported poor drainage on neighbouring properties affects the structural integrity of their own.
Humphreys additionally believes the countless impermeable surfaces in urban areas are also in part to blame.
The solution, she said, is not at all that difficult to implement.
Humphreys said a large part of the urban drainage problems could be resolved by allowing storm water to drain naturally to recharge underground aquifers.
“Where do residents think the water for our natural aquifers comes from? It certainly doesn’t magically appear for us to use.
“But how can the abundance of water from our recent rains reach the aquifers when every available urban space is covered with an impermeable surface?”
She said tar, concrete and paving are deliberately crafted to resist water penetration.
“Homeowners attentively pave their properties and direct water away from their homes. This then flows to downstream homes and streets with more paving and tar.”
She advised residents to make permeable places on their property where water can drain into.
“If your home covers 60% of your property, the remaining 40% should be permeable surfaces, such as gardens, permeable paving or attenuations ponds.
“If everyone does this, it would make an enormous difference.”
She told the NEWS the lack of proper drainage on private properties forces water into the stormwater systems, which buckle under the pressure of the extra volume.
“These man-made problems are robbing our underground systems of the ability to recharge.”
Town planning regulations state lower-lying property owners must accept storm water from higher-lying properties.
But point 14.7 of the Town Planning Scheme, however, states this should only be done when, in the municipality’s opinion, it is impracticable for the storm water to be drained from a higher-lying property directly onto a public street.
This means owners of higher-lying properties should first have their storm water discharged into the street and stormwater systems.
If this is not possible, according to the regulations, owners of a lower-lying property must accept and permit the passage over their property of such storm water from any higher-lying property from which the storm water is discharged.
Spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Zweli Dlamini explained in this case, owners of higher-lying properties shall be liable to pay a share of the cost for any pipeline or drain the owners of a lower-lying property may find necessary for conducting the water over the lower-laying property.
He added in council guidelines it states post-development stormwater flow and volume must be managed on each property.
“Storm water should be reduced to the equivalent pre-development flow and volume.”
Onsite stormwater management was initiated in 2005.
“The guidelines are amended from time to time to consider the latest best-practise principles. The formal Stormwater management guideline and by-laws are under review,” said Dlamini.
He added council cannot intervene when best practice principles for stormwater flow are not followed, but officials can offer the required opinion.
“This is a private matter between property owners,” he said.
Dlamini said with new developments, the stormwater management plan must be approved by the department and implemented by the developer before issuing an occupation certificate.
He advised residents to report contraventions of new developments to the Building Control Division of the City Planning Development or their nearest customer care centre.
“It is the responsibility of the property owners to ensure their properties have a proper drainage system.”
Dlamini said at the occupation inspection stage, the council must inspect to check if the development complies with the requirements set out.
He added residents should inspect their properties to see if they have proper drainage.
“Topography, weep holes in boundary walls and the positioning of the structure on the erf are factors to take into consideration.”
Other factors residents need to look at are the position of the erf itself regarding the stormwater flow paths and the position of the driveway.
“During heavy rains and flooding, drainage problems on private properties will be clear,” Dlamini said.
He added that stormwater drainage problems are exasperated when property owners close weep holes in boundary walls.
“This causes flooding of upstream properties and sometimes the collapse of boundary walls.
“The latter ultimately results in the flooding of downstream properties.”
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