R5 million for Braamfontein Spruit investigation
JOBURG - Find out about what is being done, and how much money has been allocated, for the Braamfontrin Spruit to prevent future flooding.
An initial amount of about R5 million has been allocated to investigate and determine flood and erosion control measures along the Braamfontein Spruit.
The longest river in Johannesburg, the Braamfontein Spruit will undergo a substantial rehabilitation following interventions by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA). The agency, responsible for road and storm water infrastructure in the city, has commissioned a study on the state of the spruit and the steps required to improve the natural habitat and surrounding infrastructure.
The agency’s acting managing director, Mpho Kau, said the City shares the concerns of residents about the environmental degradation along the river and the implications for safety and public health. Kau said the rapid urbanisation close to the banks has had a choking effect on the river, deprived it of its natural flow path, reducing its capacity.
“This often results in the spruit overflowing… its banks, especially after heavy downpours, causing damage to properties and safety hazards for people who are using roads and low-lying bridges in the vicinity,” Kau said.
Spokesperson for JRA, Bertha Peters-Scheepers said when development occurs in close proximity to riverbanks and within the catchment of A river, the increased storm water runoff entering the river causes severe erosion along the banks. “This places severe stress on the river which now becomes unstable causing the riverbanks to fail and, in turn, deposit large amounts of soil into the river. Settlement of these waste materials and sediments from erosion over a number of years reduces [the stream’s] cross-sectional capacity which further elevates flood lines. This, in turn, causes a choking effect on the river and also damages and destroys the natural habitat and flora and fauna due to the increased bank instability along the river. This is then classified as environmental degradation,” Peters-Scheepers noted.
She added that to solve the current problem, the river needed to become stable again and that can be achieved by providing erosion protection measures such as rock cladding along the riverbanks. She said that by constructing energy dissipation weirs, the velocity of the water will be reduced, thereby lessening erosion. Peters-Scheepers said SRK Consulting Engineers has been appointed.
“The primary reason for the comprehensive study is to precisely establish the prevailing challenges, causes, propose suitable solutions, estimate remedial costs and prioritise critical urgent challenges to address [in the] short-term and ultimately implement the remaining insignificant challenges as a long-term plan, [and] evaluate whether it is efficient to proceed or not,” she explained.
“Therefore, currently, JRA has not reached a decisive level of budget allocation or future estimates until such time as the study has been completed. However, an initial amount of about R5 million has been allocated to carry out the investigation of the problem and determine flood and erosion control measures along the Braamfontein Spruit.”
