As heavy rainfall continues, residents are reminded to exercise caution and prioritise safety, especially around rivers, canals and sewers, during inclement weather.
During heavy rainfall and flooding, please:
- Stay away from catchment areas such as rivers and canals and its surrounding roads – opt to use alternative routes;
- Don’t try to cross canals, rivers and channels or fast-flowing water;
- Don’t walk or drive in the floodwaters;
- Don’t remove sewer manhole covers to drain the rainwater; flooding roads, as removing these will cause sewers to overflow and it is also a health and safety risk to have uncovered manholes in the road;
- Don’t remove stormwater and catch-pit covers, as removing these will cause a safety risk;
- Don’t dump waste in rivers, canals and sewers and stormwater drains;
- Dispose of refuse using the City’s solid waste services; be patient as this service is also experiencing delays due to weather impacts;
- Keep gutters and drains free and clear of debris; and
- Report emergencies to 021 480 7700.
Continuous heavy rainfall in the metropole is resulting in some rivers and canals in various areas filling to their capacity and even overflowing, resulting in flooding.
City of Cape Town teams are working tirelessly, responding to various incidents and are monitoring these closely.
Residents are reminded the City’s sewer and stormwater teams are also continuing to unblock drains where necessary. Leading up to winter, various City departments have been proactively cleaning the stormwater and sewage infrastructure to help keep the systems clear to reduce the impact of excessive stormwater entering the systems.
The large volumes of rain is currently overwhelming the stormwater system. During continuous heavy rain, when rivers and canals overflow, stormwater cannot drain freely from the roads into the watercourses. As soon as there is a break in rain the flooding will slowly clear.
“We urge the public please to take note of these precautionary measures for their safety and well-being,” said Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien.
“During the heavy rainfall experienced canals as well as retention ponds, detention ponds and other stormwater-related infrastructure will fill with water and distribute the flow to rivers and the sea as they are intended to do. The prolonged downpours, however, can and do overwhelm the systems, and draining can take longer, which causes localised flooding and the bursting of canals and rivers. Residents are reminded that this situation is made far worse than it needs to be due to the continuous dumping of rubble, plastics and other foreign objects into these systems, which are designed for the movement of stormwater only.”
“Capetonians can help avoid or lessen the misery and danger experienced by flooding by reporting blocked stormwater infrastructure and by reporting illegal dumping,” said Mayco Member for Urban Mobility Roberto Quintas. “We encourage commuters to use alternative routes where possible in order to avoid possibly dangerous situations along our water bodies and canals.”
- Parking, roads and pathways might be unusually flooded, or slippery, so exercise extreme caution.
- Wear suitable weatherproof clothing and waterproof non-slip shoes to avoid slipping and puddles.
- Arrive timeously at the burial and do not exceed the 30-minute timeslot so as to alleviate parking congestion.
- Consider a smaller number of people attending burials, particularly during episodes of inclement weather.. Exercise caution when carrying coffins and avoid standing too close to open graves.
- Consider weekday burials to reduce overcrowding in cemeteries on weekends.
- Undertakers to exercise caution with gazebos, which are prone to injuring mourners if swept away in the wind.
The rainfall causes the water table level to rise, which then has the potential to impact operations, like digging graves, or reopening family graves. This is a recurring challenge during periods of severe weather conditions, and the past few days have been especially trying.
The Recreation and Parks Department is addressing the situation, but there are no immediate solutions for the saturated water table or flooded cemeteries. Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services and Health, has requested the cooperation and caution of families and undertakers during burials, and funeral-goers in navigating slippery conditions. Additionally, cemetery staff may need to dig shallower graves depending on the water table levels, which could restrict the possibility of burying a second coffin in the same grave. The City may also advise against reopening family graves in highly waterlogged areas, suggesting alternative graves or cemeteries instead.
