Durban residents left to deal with floods aftermath, blame placed on poor drainage

by Nomonde Simelane

Residents in Durban and neighbouring towns have been left to deal with the heartbreaking aftermath of the recent floods, leaving speculation as to what has made the Metropolitan a magnet for floods in recent years.

According to eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba, the city of Durban has experienced unprecedented levels of flooding over the past decade. The mayor attributes the flooding to the size of the storms vs the capacity of the city’s stormwater systems.

“It is for this reason that we are constantly pleading with both residents and businesses to dispose of waste in designated areas. In eThekwini Municipality, the stormwater systems are designed to cope with a one-in-10-year storm event flow at critical points. The 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023 floods were greater than the 1:100-year flood in certain parts of the city,” the mayor says.

Climate change and the unpredictability and frequency of these rains and storms have contributed to the lack of action and solutions on the municipality’s part. These recent floods have not only greatly damaged the city’s infrastructure but have also caused immense suffering in the form of multiple fatalities, as well as the displacement of some families from their homes.

Durban residents have taken to social media to share their harrowing experiences with the floods. Some of these users have pinpointed the poor drainage systems implemented by the municipality as the culprit, and have called for those responsible to act before more lives are ruined or lost.

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