Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Deputy Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng, has visited the Nkomazi Local Municipality in Mpumalanga as part of the ongoing assessment of provinces and areas affected by floods.

Located in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality, the municipality has 33 wards, which are affected by the floods at different degrees. Tuesday’s assessment was intended to provide an opportunity to determine the extent of the damage, its impact on communities, and then to consolidate the necessary resources.

Across the 33 wards, there were over 100 footbridges connecting communities of the various villages and many of these have been totally destroyed by the floods. Some of the local and provincial bridges, roads and houses have also been destroyed.

Nkadimeng indicated that the assessment process is still ongoing across the country and that the resources needed to address the disaster will only be known once the assessments are done.

With the declaration of the national state of disaster, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) continues to coordinate and work with all provincial disaster teams to mitigate the impact of floods on communities.

“Unfortunately, in the Mpumalanga province, the current flooding already led to six confirmed fatalities and four people still unaccounted for after having been swept away by water. The farming community has also suffered with about 565 livestock dead as a result of the raging water following the rains,” CoGTA said.

As a number of areas were flooded and some services disconnected, the health sector in the municipality was also not spared. Three clinics were affected and two are now functional and a mobile clinic is also augmenting the required assistance to communities. The hospital is now working after water was restored by the municipality.

“As a result of the floods, there is concern that waterborne diseases such as cholera and malaria will spread. The relevant department and the municipality were urged to monitor the developments,” CoGTA said.

The Deputy Minister said stakeholders should work together to restore normalcy to the lives of communities that has been affected by the devastating floods.

“This can only be accomplished if all stakeholders start connecting services for people. … This cannot be put off because the lives of communities must come first,” Nkadimeng said.

The Deputy Minister also spoke about the importance of food banks, which would be playing a key role by providing food parcels to assist those badly affected by the flooding, which has destroyed homes.

Assessing the damage

After the briefing session held at Kamhlushwa Community Hall, the Deputy Minister joined the disaster management teams that are on the ground providing the much needed assistance to the affected communities.

The in loco inspection started at Thambokhulu Bridge, which has been destroyed by floods, and it is making movement of people of goods and people impossible. The municipality is already attending to the problem and contractors are onsite. This bridge is one of the three destroyed by flooding.

The second site to be visited was Masibekela Water Treatment Plant, which experienced flooding due to the overflowing river. This flooding resulted in the plant not working thus leaving many communities without water.

The Deputy Minister urged the municipality to fast track the process to reconnect communities to the water supply. She also emphasised the need to elevate the pumps in the water treatment plan to avoid future challenges if the river overflows.

The third visit was at the farms, mainly the sugar cane ones, where damage was also being attended to, to ensure that the agricultural sector is not negatively impacted.

The last site was an assessment and engagement with members of the community who lost homes due to heavy rains and flooding.

The Deputy Minister urged the municipality to assist and to find alternative stands that are not in a flood prone area.

“Major rainfall events that result in flooding demonstrate the importance of properly designed and maintained storm drain systems. Mismanaged and blocked storm water can be dangerous for the environment, properties, and public health as it leads to flooding.

“The routine storm water maintenance and storm drains are particularly important in flood-prone areas to ensure the drainage system is working as designed and ready to handle increased flows during weather events,” Nkadimeng said.

The Deputy Minister called for heightened awareness and encouraged communities to be cautious as more rains are still expected and the risk of flooding still remains high.

Source: South African Government News Agency