eThekwini outlines infrastructure rehabilitation plans following flooding
The south and western regions in eThekwini were the most affected, with Tshelimnyama, in Mariannhill recording 15 fatalities.
AN interim report outlining the devastating impact of heavy rainfall experienced on Monday, 22 to Tuesday, 23 April in the City as well as interventions to assist displaced residents and the estimated cost of repairs to damaged infrastructure was tabled at a special Executive Committee meeting held on Friday, 26 April at the City’s Disaster Management Centre.
The report estimates the costs, based on the interim assessments done by various municipal departments, being around R658 million.
Speaking at the meeting, eThekwini Mayor, Zandile Gumede said that on behalf of the City she extended her heartfelt condolences to all the grieving families.
“They are all in our thoughts and prayers. May God guide and strengthen them during these trying times.”
She said the floods have inflicted untold damage on public and private infrastructure.
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‘We have sent out teams to commence with the quantification of damages. This includes visits to households and all sites that have been affected. We will further communicate on this once the quantification process has been concluded. We have given the teams a short turnaround time.”
Gumede said the municipality has also commenced with social relief interventions such as food packages and feeding schemes as well as the distribution of school uniforms and learner support material allowing affected children to go back to school.
“We continue to offer counselling services to grieving families. We are also finalising funeral support arrangements to ensure decent burials of the deceased. A task team has been appointed to coordinate all the support including the burials. As a municipality, we have also set up a dedicated support desk at the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre for all grieving families,” she said. The desk includes a hotline with the number 031 367 0094.
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With regards to the infrastructural rehabilitation, the funds will be sourced from insurance which the City will claim for, while some money will be sourced from eThekwini Municipality’s internal reserves. A report will also be submitted to the provincial and national government requesting funding for the projects.
Following the tabling of the report, the city manager has been authorised to direct all units to assess infrastructure and implement emergency rehabilitation where required. The city manager has also been authorised to develop programmes that will respond to national and provincial programmes in light of the disaster.
The Human Settlements Unit will also rehabilitate and construct damaged low cost housing, community residential units, informal settlements and transit facilities through the utilisation of existing funding and to seek additional funding from provincial and national government, the report states.
The report’s recommendations also state that based on the extent of the damages to the municipality, to declare a local state of disaster as per Section 55 of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002.
The Executive Committee also authorised Treasury to identify emergency funding for identified emergency relief and rehabilitation. In addition, Treasury has also been authorised to re-prioritise USDG funding in order to fund Human Settlements projects.
The report noted that heavy rainfall experienced on 22 and 23 April led to localised flooding experienced over most parts of the municipality. It noted that a number of incidents reported through the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre were as a result of flooding and strong winds which resulted in structural damage to a number of houses, injuries as well as fatalities. The official death toll has been confirmed as 69 people in eThekwini.
The south and western regions in eThekwini were the most affected, with Tshelimnyama, in Mariannhill recording 15 fatalities and it was visited by President Cyril Ramaphosa and senior government officials.
Gumede commended the search and rescue teams, including members of community and Good Samaritans for lending a helping hand during this difficult period. She said the Department of Home Affairs is also assisting with the issuing of temporary identity documents to those affected.
“The eThekwini Municipality has provided temporary shelters to house displaced families in 11 community halls. While the storm has left a trail of destruction we are working around the clock to alleviate the impact of this disaster on our communities and to bring the lives of those affected back to normality as mop-up operations continue,” said Gumede.
Breakdown of Damages
The report provided a summary of infrastructure damages and the cost implications of each unit.
For the Engineering Unit, 33 wards were affected with damage including culvert repair, storm water pipes, pond collapsed, abutment collapse/wash away, deck subsidence and road closure. The projected cost is R248 400 000.
For the Human Settlements Unit, the total cost is R327 919 000 and includes repairs to RDP houses, transit camp units, informal settlements, retaining walls, hostel blocks and R293 houses.
Twelve facilities of the Parks and Recreations Unit were affected with libraries and the Art Gallery flooded and equipment damaged. The cost of repairs is not yet available.
Meanwhile, the Electricity Unit estimated costs to be R19 530 000 with repairs to 11 substations as well as the HV Network to be undertaken.
The Health Unit estimates costs to be R3 million with the roofs of clinics in a number of areas damaged as well as consultation rooms flooded.
Plans for memorial services and funerals will soon be announced.
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