Flooding blamed on poor stormwater management
"Ninety percent of last week’s carnage occurred along the banks of the Eastleigh Spruit."
The recent floods not only caused immense damage to residential and business properties, but also highlighted the need for the Ekurhuleni Metro (EMM) to urgently upgrade the greater Edenvale stormwater management systems.
Clr Heather Hart, of ward 18, said Edenvale’s existing stormwater systems in Hurlyvale Spruit and Harmelia Spruit and which feed into Eastleigh Spruit were designed long before there was any concept for the development of a major highway system around the area.
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“Apart from the cosmetic upgrades to the Minauch attenuation dam, Eastleigh Spruit and the installation of the Harmelia attenuation system, nothing has been done by the EMM to take into account the drastic increase in stormwater or heavy rains,” said Clr Hart.
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Clr Hart said that the Eastleigh Spruit cannot accommodate the high water intake from both the north and south.
“Ninety percent of last week’s carnage occurred along the banks of the Eastleigh Spruit, or is associated with push-back from water that could not ingress due to the high levels of water within the spruit’s stormwater channel,” she said.
Clr Hart said it is important to note where most of the water in the greater Edenvale area goes:
r The Western Park of Meadowdale feeds into stormwater drains under the R24, which then feeds into Hurlyvale Spruit. This water then travels into the Horwood’s Farm dam where it meets with water from the Harmelia Spruit coming from Klopper Park and Elandsfontein before proceeding into the Eastleigh Spruit;
r Central Meadowdale and Tunney feed into four to six large stormwater pipes under the R24 into the Minauch attenuation dam, which then feeds into underground storm water pipes into the Hermelia Spruit.
r Klopper Park and Elandsfontein feeds into Harmelia Spruit which then flows into the Horwoords Farm dam.
On November 9, the flooding broke the banks of both the Hurlyvale Spruit and Harmelia Spruit, which formed wide rivers heading towards Horwoord’s.
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Hurlyvale Spruit took down the entire fence along Horwood Road and flooded across the road into Malagueta/Horwood’s Farm dam.
Harmelia Spruit was so wide that it flooded into Beverley Road.
The DA is circulating a petition demanding that the Ekurhuleni Metro urgently address remedial action to protect the properties along the Eastleigh and Harmelia spruits from ongoing flooding.
“The metro must, within six months, present the community with a revised stormwater management plan to attenuate Meadowdale, Tunney and Greenstone stormwater in such a manner that it no longer puts properties in the greater Edenvale area at risk,” said Clr Hart.
The NEWS sent a request for comment to the EMM on November 16 and requested comment by November 18 at 9am.
No comment has been received.
