Councillor’s corner: What about the drains?

This week, journalist Phathu Luvhengo asked:

Why do the storm drains flood during heavy rains? What can we as residents do to help?

Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck answered:

Storm water problems are managed by Joburg Roads Agency (JRA). There are two main reasons why these keep flooding:

1) Kerb Inlets (KIs) are where the water in the street is meant to run into. But these are often damaged by trucks driving over them and/or blocked with sand and debris. They are difficult to maintain and clean as they have big, heavy concrete lids that need a crane to lift them up. Then they need to be manually scooped out and the debris removed. And then the concrete lid needs to be replaced or renewed.

Because the inlets are blocked, the water now runs down the street causing damage to the road surfaces, gutters and often into houses.

KIs should be serviced every year, but in reality, they are only done when somebody reports them. And they are usually not done when necessary but are placed on a list and done altogether once or twice a year when funding is available. Or when a dangerous flood is caused like at Zoo Lake in the dip next to Jan Cilliers School.

2) The water from kerb inlets flow down drains into a storm water system that is usually a concrete donga leading down to a nearby river. These dongas were built over 60 years ago when there were much fewer houses and paved gardens. Now there is too much run-off for these old storm water dongas to handle and they often flood and overflow. The rivers are now carrying about three times the quantity of water that should be flowing when it rains.

Unfortunately, underneath these dongas are sewer lines and the extra storm water often does damage to the sewers too. This causes sewage to get into the storm water system and into the rivers.

Another reason these sewers block up and overflow into the storm water is due to people putting disposable nappies, baby wipes and tampons down the toilet and this blocks the sewer pipes. Tree roots getting into the sewer line also cause blockages.

Blocked and damaged inlets should be reported to hotline@jra.org.za.

Include the exact street address and nearest street corner. Insist on a reference number and send the email with a reference number to your ward councillor to make sure it goes on the agency list.

Sewer leaks into storm water dongas must be reported to customer@jwater.co.za. Try to give an accurate address as to where you have seen the sewerage in the water and tell them it’s in a storm water donga or drain. Insist on a ref number. They will usually sort this out within a few days. If not, send the information through to your councillor.

Do you have a question for a ward councillor?

As a local newspaper, the Randburg Sun provides a platform for residents to learn about, understand and follow local government. As an extension of that, there is a weekly column called Councillor’s Corner which is a platform for you, our readers, to voice your concerns or questions for ward councillors to respond to.

Different, willing, ward councillors will respond to a question each week.

Email your burning question to aimeed@caxton.co.za and let’s get the ball rolling.