Heavy, insistent rain across the Overberg over the weekend has caused water levels to rise once again, causing havoc in communities already battling to recover from storms that lashed the area two weeks ago.
Sand that had been shored up last week in preparation of repairs to the section of the N2 near Bot River, which was destroyed during the storm in the early hours of Monday 25 September, washed away over the weekend after the latest downpour, which caused water levels to rise exponentially.
Traffic on the R43 between Botrivier and Hermanus was chaos on Friday with traffic travelling in the direction of Hermanus backed-up all the way from Houw Hoek Pass, while vehicles travelling in the opposite direction were backed-up from Fisherhaven to the Kleinmond turn-off.
A stop-and-go system that had been put in place while repairs were done to the R43 at the Kleinmond turn-off contributed to the long travelling times. Other factors include a larger number of motorists using this route as a result of road closures, forcing them to use alternative routes to travel to and from work.
Renaldo Lorio, SANRAL Project Manager, confirmed that repair works to the N2 at Botrivier are underway, with earthmoving equipment already on site.
“The contractor is currently re-channelling the river along its original waterway, so as to gain access to the portion of the N2 that was washed away. This involves digging trenches and bringing in rockfill materials. While the water level has subsided, it is still high, with a relatively high flow rate. We hope to complete the repairs over the next four to six weeks, and provide thorough-fare access as soon as possible. Further rain could however impact the repairs.”
The Hemel-en-Aarde Road between Hermanus and Caledon as well as Clarence Drive, between Gordon’s Bay and Kleinmond, the Van der Stel and Franschhoek Pass also remained closed.
Overstrand Executive Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie confirmed the Hemel-en-Aarde road (R320) would remain closed for the foreseeable future as some areas of the road had been completely washed away and was considered dangerous for traffic. She confirmed that contractors had already been appointed to start the repairs.
The Department of Infrastructure said it is difficult to provide the cost of repairs until all inspections and assessments had been carried out.
The Provincial Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, visited the R43/R44 interchange at Kleinmond as well as the Palmiet Bridge last week to assess the damage.
He said: “Having personally visited some of the damaged road infrastructure I can attest that, at first glance, some of these roads appear to be in good condition. However, much of the damage is beneath the surface of the road.
“In one instance the entire support structure under a lane was completely washed out, which means it is just a layer of asphalt/tar keeping the road up.”Extensive damage suffered
Rabie urged residents of Greater Hermanus to continue using water sparingly even though the water supply to most areas has stabilised. These areas were left without water for several days after the De Bos supply line was washed away during the storm.
With regard to repairs to the De Bos supply line, Rabie said: “Currently our consulting engineers are working on different options for the permanent repair of the De Bos supply line.
“The current costs for emergency work done is R1,8 million. This includes the hiring of equipment and plant to fix access roads, the cost of the water provided as well as the JoJo tanks, blocks and clearing of stormwater channels and the rivers. It excludes salaries, overtime, transport, fuel and chemicals which will add up to a considerable amount as we were working non-stop since Sunday 24 September.”
Overberg District Municipality’s Chief of Disaster Management, Reinard Geldenhuys, said it is difficult to comment on the extent of damages sustained, as reports were still being compiled. He confirmed the agricultural sector suffered extensive losses as a result of landslides, erosion damage to cultivated lands and the environment, pumps, and agriculture equipment either being lost or damaged and livestock lost as result of the flooding.
Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, said: “Although it is still too early to calculate the cost of this storm, if viewed in the context of the June floods, and the recent coastal damages due to storm surges, this is becoming a very expensive winter for the province. Moving forward, the focus must be to invest further in early-warning infrastructure and ensure new infrastructure is designed with adjusted climate-change parameters in mind.”
