Roadside dam threatens crucial route inland of Shakaskraal
After raising concerns about the road with the provincial transport department on numerous occasions, but seeing little action, the community banded together to fund drainage of the dam.
The community along the P104 road inland of Shakaskraal has been forced to jump in themselves to prevent potential damage to the crucial artery.
A dam has been forming near the road for the past two years after a drainage pipe below a raised section became blocked.
It has slowly increased in size to the point where millions of litres of water has collected, posing a potential threat to the foundations of the road it borders.
The road is an important route for the surrounding communities, particularly for farmers transporting their goods and for fuel to reach the nearby Avon Peaking Power Plant.
It has seen increased traffic since the P103, which connects the P104 to Driefontein, was damaged during last year’s floods.
After raising concerns about the road with the provincial transport department on numerous occasions, but seeing little action, the community banded together to fund drainage of the dam.
“We have had two generator-powered pumps working pretty much around the clock since Monday (November 6), pumping out around 130 000 litres of water per hour,” said resident Jason Kobusch.
“So far the level of the dam has dropped by around two metres.”
The transport department has since joined in on the drainage effort, said Kobusch.
“They brought two pumps of their own which worked for around three days. But once the dam had dropped, their pump lines were too short to continue,” he said.
“The department has showed good faith and we hope they will be able to clear the blockage quickly once the water is low enough.”
A request for comment was not returned by the transport department.
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