Durban- The damage caused by last week’s torrential rains will cost the city at least R20 million, eThekwini municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said.
Mayisela said the final figure for the damage caused by the rains had not yet been finalised.
Mayisela went onto say that this was the rainy season, and people should be cautious of where they built their houses.
He said people should not build their houses on slopes and low lying areas as this made rescue efforts difficult for officials.
What people needed to do was to build in areas that were zoned and approved by the municipality, he said.
Another issue that he addressed was that of litter. He said people should be responsible and ensure that they disposed of dirt appropriately.
Mayisela said dirt that was disposed of through storm drains often clogged the sewerage system and became constrained when there were heavy rains.
Last week, heavy rains battered the city and various parts of the province with tornadoes being seen near New Hanover in the KZN Midlands.
The tornado caused widespread destruction and left two people dead in its wake.
An elderly couple in Inanda died last week Monday after the roof of their collapsed after the heavy rains fell.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs had joint operations centres which consisted of various emergency services to respond to emergencies that occurred as rivers flooded.
This is the second time this year that the city has been hit with heavy rains that have resulted in flooding.
In April this year, heavy rains caused flooding and took more than 80 lives as houses were destroyed by the heavy downfalls.