Mnambithi (Ladysmith) has frequently made headlines due to severe flooding, over the years. However, this is expected to change as the Alfred Duma Municipality explores strategies to mitigate future flooding risks.
In February 2023, the Alfred Duma Municipality explained that it had secured the necessary valves to prevent the water from the Klip River from flowing into the town.
This was after the Alfred Duma Municipality enlisted the services of consultants, who in turn notified the Municipality that its valves were not functioning properly. At the time, the Municipality had to generate a budget for the required valves and could only acquire eight of the eleven necessary valves. The remaining valves were earmarked to be acquired by the end of March 2023.
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With this said, and the rainy season set to start in the coming months, the question now stands: Has the Alfred Duma Municipality secured the final valves and what other steps has it taken to minimise further flooding?
In response, the Municipality’s Communications Unit explained that the eleven non-return valves that were damaged or dislodged from the flood chambers along the Klip River Channel had been replaced. “The sizes of these valves vary from 450mm to 1200mm depending on the outlet sizes and are located on both sides of the Klip River Channel. These chambers are being monitored 24 hours a day to ensure the integrity of the flood chambers and their contents are not compromised, vandalised or stolen.”
In addition, the Alfred Duma Municipality’s Communications Unit pointed out that a task team had been formed, with the purpose of finding solutions to mitigate the flooding within the low-lying areas of the CBD.
The team, according to the Communications Unit, consists of multiple representatives from government departments, such as the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, MISA, SANRAL, Department of Water and Sanitation, Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), uThukela Disaster Management, Alfred Duma Municipality – Department Technical and Infrastructural Services, Alfred Duma Municipality – Department Development, Planning and Human Settlements – Town Planning, Alfred Duma Municipality – Public Safety and Emergency Services – Disaster Management and other government departments.
With the Alfred Duma Municipality taking steps to address the flooding, going as far as to create a task team, the Municipality’s Communications Unit said it was important for uMnambithi (Ladysmith) residents to know that the Alfred Duma Municipality, with KZNCOGTA, was looking at medium to long-term strategies to mitigate the risk and impact of localised flooding in the Ladysmith CBD and surrounding areas.
“One of the fundamental solutions is to intensify the de-silting activities within the entire span of the river channel and to increase the holding capacity within the current stormwater network. The issue of addressing the localised flooding is being investigated with specific studies being carried out in the entire area (upper and lower catchment areas, including tributaries),” said the Communications Unit. They added that once this was done, the application for the necessary funding to mitigate this risk would then be addressed.
With the Alfred Duma Municipality taking proactive steps to address flooding, what are your thoughts on the measures being taken?
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Comments 1
To my thoughts is that from the klipriver dam they must bulid another way of water that is not coming from the town when the dam is full building small channels of water star from the dam pass down to traffic department kzn build the bridge to pass people from roobom and durdan Cars the channels goes straight to collenso l think is the only thing that will help Ladysmith to this food thankyou