South Africa's eThekwini Municipality Urged to Unblock Storm Water Drains
Motorists and residents using Isipingo Main Road, south of Durban, in South Africa, are urging the eThekwini Municipality to unblock storm water drains.
According to them, the road and pavement is covered in water, reported IOL News.
The road is now renamed Phila Ndwandwe Road and has been covered by pools of water for more than two weeks.
Some residents blame the city for not clearing drains of debris regularly, and the flooding is causing problems for the flow of traffic during peak hour, reported IOL News.
“We are having a problem with this road. The road surface has been covered with water for more than two weeks and the municipality has done nothing about it,” said a bus driver who wished to remain anonymous, reported IOL News. “Apart from that this town seemed to be neglected. It is filthy and roads are in a bad condition,” said the driver.
This same driver called on the councillor and the municipality to intervene and to fix the problem.
It is not clear where water came from, but there is speculation that it could be a burst pipe.
EThekwini deputy mayor Philani Mavundla is also Housing and Infrastructure Committee chairperson. According to Mavundla, he will get the appropriate department to attend to the problem, reported IOL News.
According to Isipingo Business Forum chairperson Junaid Iqbal, the water levels have risen over the weeks and had nothing to do with recent rainfall. Iqbal said they were not getting feedback from the city on a solution, reported IOL News.
An eThekwini Municipality team was spotted in the area but it is unsure if they could find the cause of the stagnant water. The team had previously left the area without resolving the problem.