Springfield community demands R1.5bn flood prevention upgrade amid rising water risks

The Springfield Civic and Ratepayers Association is appealing to the eThekwini Municipality to improve drainage infrastructure in their area to prevent flooding. 

Rapid flooding occurs during torrential rainfall and storms along Alpine Road, lower Springtown and Quarry Road East on a regular basis, said Stavros Pillay, the chairperson of the association.

Pillay said the municipality should consult with roleplayers to mitigate the problem.

Two weeks ago, water levels on Quarry Road rose to cause property and infrastructure damage.

Maulana Shaykh Imam Habeeb Soofie, a theologian of Habibia Soofie Mosque Alpine Road, said the area was prone to flooding for decades, including the 1976 floods of Tin Town that destroyed an entire settlement on the banks of the Umgeni River.

Soofie said the mosque has been a landmark in the area for 126 years, providing shelter to displaced people irrespective of race or religion. 

“We were and still are a support structure for people during the floods and after the floods. We provided much needed aid and shelter together with the community of Springtown,” he said. 

In the April 2022 floods, the mosque was severely impacted with damage to the carpets, prayer mats, building infrastructure, and the mechanical components for the borehole.

Despite this setback, Soofie said feeding schemes continued on a daily basis with the help and logistics of Pillay and his team. 

Pillay said the recent pooling of water outside the mosque is a concern because it impacts the drainage into Lotus Road and upper Felix Dlamini Road (formerly Brickfield).

He said that if it rains for 20 minutes, residents are on high alert, adding that three people had died on Lotus Road during the April 2022 floods, which he believes could have been averted.

“We know the gradient of the land and that this area is situated in a valley, but there needs to be an upgrade of the canal along Umgeni Road and the drainage on Quarry Road East. We believe that a storm water pipe across the mosque is blocked for several years and this is unable to drain the water,” he said.

Pillay said volunteers cleaned Quarry Road East to make it accessible and that they received no assistance from the municipality. Pillay said the Soofie family was investing money in maintaining the open space across the road. 

“How long can ratepayers absorb this burden? The municipality should interact with us because we are on the ground,” Pillay said. 

The Puntans Hill informal and formal housing on Quarry Road East was also affected by the rising water levels. On Sunday, Ward 25 councillor Jetro Mkhize held a clean-up campaign to remove debris and mud from the roads and properties. 

In a statement about stormwater infrastructure and flooding, the municipality stated that storms are primarily influenced by the intensity of rainfall, the capacity of drainage systems, and the debris carried by stormwater. 

The municipality stated that it would improve stormwater infrastructure and disaster preparedness to better protect residents and businesses from future extreme weather events.

In eThekwini, stormwater systems are designed to handle a 1-in-10-year storm event at critical points and a 1-in-3-year storm event in non-critical areas. 

Large canals and river protection works are built to withstand 1-in-50 or 1-in-100-year storm events. Over the past decade, the municipality has experienced an increasing frequency of severe floods. 

In March 2024, the municipality received R1.5 billion in disaster reconstruction and recovery funding. This was distributed across three infrastructure units: engineering, water and sanitation, and human settlements.

For road and stormwater infrastructure repairs, R1.2 billion was allocated to the Engineering Unit. To date, over 455 projects have been completed.

On Friday, the uMhlathuze Local Municipality had also undertaken maintenance work to ensure the smooth functioning of stormwater drainage systems. The municipality said that heavy rainfall and debris have caused blockages in many of these systems. 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za