Durban — A year since the April floods claimed 435 lives in KwaZulu-Natal, the eThekwini Municipality, which was the most affected in the province, is still trying to fix its damaged infrastructure.
eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the extensive damage to road infrastructure was estimated at R5.6 billion. The municipality was working with the KZN Department of Transport on several road projects. Kaunda said this on Tuesday when he was assessing the progress that the city had made in flood-related infrastructure repairs. Kaunda said bridges were a priority.
“If you look at the magnitude of the work that has to be done, it’s not a small project but it’s a big project.”
Kaunda said that the department had to redesign the bridges and would be looking at how to reconstruct them while being cognisant of the issue of flooding. He said through the budget reprioritisation process and the allocation of the first tranche of the flood relief funds, the City had been able to put in a new drainage system in Bellamont Road in eMdloti and backfilled the area that was affected by mudslides.
“We have made great progress in constructing two bridges in ward 100, Engonyameni. We have built a pedestrian bridge in ward 53. We have undertaken 600 projects which include rehabilitation and re-gravelling of access roads that fall under our jurisdiction in rural and township communities,” said Kaunda.
He said the municipality had also allocated funding for flood-mitigation measures in the Durban South Basin. These included the repair of the existing Umlazi canal, Prospecton Road canal upgrade and maintenance of Ezimbokodweni and Isipingo River diversion berms, as well as rebuilding of power sub-stations in the area to improve electricity supply to industries.
Kaunda said more than 100 power stations were severely affected by the floods and now they were all working and in good condition.
Kaunda added that apart from relocating flood victims to temporary emergency accommodation, they continued to build storm disaster houses for families at safer sites.
“We have been able to build over 60 storm disaster houses for flood victims. Moreover, we can proudly say that over 8 000 families who were displaced by floods and moved to 120 mass care centres are now in safe family-friendly accommodations. We are also accelerating a programme of building permanent houses for them. As we speak, the City is preparing eight sites for this purpose,” he said.
Kaunda also spoke about the death of Noxolo Khumalo, 26, from Inanda, who died on Friday after her car plunged into a deep gorge left after floodwaters washed away a road in Ntuzuma in Durban in April 2022. Talking about why the bridge had not been repaired, Kaunda said it was the responsibility of the Department of Transport in the province.
However, he said they were working with the department and it was prioritising the project.
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