Cape Town - Cape Town is currently experiencing the much awaited and needed rain, but the heavy downpour has caused flooding of many roads across the city, mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said on Sunday.
Flooding had occurred mainly due to obstructions in the storm water system catch pits and entry gullies, he said.
This could be caused by loose debris on the road surface that had landed in the opening of the gully causing a blockage. One of the other causes of blockages was debris dumped into storm water infrastructure.
"In some cases we have found tree roots that find their way into the joints of the pipes that cause a constriction inside the pipe and can cause blockages. Areas that are normally hit the hardest are areas that are close to a flood plain or within the flood plain. This is often the case for some informal settlements," Herron said.
"Other areas where we have excessive dumping into the storm water infrastructure are also prone to flooding. We are currently assessing the data for today [Sunday] to be able to identify problem areas," he said.
Some of the most affected areas where roads had been flooded across the metro were Lower Gordon Road in Strand, Kudu Avenue in Lotus River, Crescent Road on the corner of Claremont Avenue, Louw Avenue in Grassy Park, Fernwood in Newlands, Main Road and the R44 in Somerset West, and Carel Uys Road and Blombos Road in Atlantis.
"Our teams are on high alert and are attending to the incidents as we become aware of them. We are also working in close collaboration with other city departments. The roads and storm water depots are clearing roadways and unblocking drains. The disaster operations centre has been activated to assess the impact and co-ordinate responses. I urge motorists to take extra care or where possible delay non-essential travel," Herron said.