Delville residents demand stormwater drains to be cleaned
The residents said the lack of maintenance of the drains is a serious challenge.
Delville residents in Dunkirk Street are constantly living in fear of floods because of the blocked stormwater drains.
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Lindiwe Nkosi is one of the residents who saw her home flooded on January 6. The increased rainfall has now escalated residents’ fear of more flood damage.
“My home inside and my yard were flooded. Electrical appliances were damaged and we are still cleaning up from January,” said Nkosi.
She said the situation has turned into a nightmare.
“The flooding was so bad that our cars were almost submerged in water. The cars could not drive as streets were flooded,” said Nkosi.
Another resident Thandi Masilele’s house was flooded twice.
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“The second time was bad. The water damage inside the house is terrible. Most of the things in the house got submerged in water. I have been cleaning and checking what has been damaged,” said Masilela.
She said even the drain in front of her house did not make a difference because it might be dirty.
“The drains in the area make no difference. It is as if they are not here. Some of them you can’t even see because they are covered in grass and dirt,” said Masilela.
The residents said the lack of maintenance of the drains is a serious challenge.
“Some of the houses are situated near open land where the long grass is part of the problem because the water does not move. When we asked municipal workers to cut the grass, they said it is private property,” said Nkosi.
She is worried about the next rainfall and additional damage.
“I have made a plan by building a canal to redirect the water but I’m not sure if it’s going to work,” said Nkosi.
Ward 35 Clr Ntuthuzelo Mpambani said he has requested for drains to be cleaned in the area.
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“Councillors don’t have a budget, it is the department that has a budget. It’s not only Delville that has drains not being cleaned and maintained, the entire ward is facing the same challenge.
“I reported all of those to the department and follow-up weekly, but I’m not winning. The department seems to not have funds,” said Mpambani.
GCN contacted City of Ekurhuleni for comments and also forwarded videos of flood damage on February 15.
A written media inquiry was sent on February 17 and comments were requested by February 20.
At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
