A raging thunderstorm in the Klein Karoo has wreaked havoc since the weekend, including causing the disappearance of a woman, forcing paramedics to abandon ship and damaging a reservoir which provides drinking water for residents.
A car with four passengers travelling between Klaarstroom and Prince Albert, about 455km from Cape Town, was forced off the road owing to flooding at the weekend, and yesterday rescuers were still out looking for the missing woman.
On the same stretch of road, two paramedics and a patient had to abandon their emergency vehicle. The three stood in the cold for hours until police eventually found them – the ambulance had washed away.
In a separate incident, the Meiringspoort Pass, which connects Klaarstroom and De Rust, was closed after a passenger bus was trapped for some time. Extensive damage was also caused to the Swartberg Pass between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn, and the road has been closed until further notice.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell’s spokesperson, James-Brent Styan, said the Gamkaskloof, an isolated valley, can only be reached through Oudtshoorn.
“Repairs by technical teams from Central Karoo District Municipality are currently under way. Water supply infrastructure for Prince Albert was damaged, which includes the boreholes in Swartberg Pass as well as the reservoir which provides drinking water to the town. Prince Albert municipality has the situation under control and is currently doing everything in their power to restore water to the town,” Styan said.
Prince Albert mayor Goliath Lottering said the towns had persistent rain since Friday, and had not been as severely affected by a drought like the one the Cape Town metro.
“We implemented level one (water restrictions), but it has been raining here throughout the past few months,” Lottering said.
Department of Water and Sanitation provincial spokesperson Malusi Rayi said while light rain in the Cape Town metro was welcomed, it was not enough to fill rivers just yet.
“The government calls on South Africans to make lifestyle changes to reduce water consumption,” Rayi said.