SA should prepare for bucketloads of rain (and potential damage) in coming months

Wet weather conditions have been forecast for spring and summer – and it is only a matter of time before the rain comes bucketing down.

For some, the news about lots of rain has been welcome, but not for those living in flood-prone areas.

Last summer saw heavy downpours recorded in various parts of the country, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming hundreds of lives in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

La Niña still with us

In recent months, the South African Weather Service has forecast above-normal rainfall for the northeastern parts of the country, including provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, Free State and KZN.

The forecast comes as the La Nina weather system, which is associated with a lot of rain, remains in place.

Water expert Professor Anthony Turton questioned government’s capacity to respond to weather disasters such as the recent floods.

Previous season’s damage still not fixed

Turton, who lives in KZN, said the damage caused to infrastructure had not been fixed. “The capacity of the state to respond, particularly in KZN, is extremely low and we have clear evidence: roads that were washed away then still haven’t been repaired and sewerage systems that were damaged have not yet been repaired.

“The capacity of the state to respond is really our biggest risk and not so much the risk in the change of rainfall patterns. “It’s the inability of the state to respond and this I can see getting worse going forward. I don’t see any indication of the capacity of the state improving.”

Turton said government’s “soft infrastructure” has collapsed, stressing that under the policy of cadre deployment there has been a complete hollowing out of skills.

“There is not even the ability in many municipalities to draft terms of reference to appoint a consulting engineer….

“Our problem is our inability to respond at institutional level. We are facing systemic failure and it is not only in the water sector, it’s in the energy sector, too – as we are seeing with the problems at Eskom,” Turton said.