10 July 2024
As a safety precaution, Drakenstein Municipality has decided to start evacuating groups of residents of Newton, Wellington, in the Western Cape after it was notified of a farm dam in the area being at risk of dam wall failure.
Due to heavy rainfall over the last couple of days, combined with high ground saturation levels in the Bo-Dal Dam area and more predicted rains, the municipal teams started to pre-emptively evacuate the first group last night. This followed the assessment of a dam specialist. The Municipality also redirected the water overflow away from houses with digger loaders and sandbags.
To facilitate a smooth evacuation, the Municipality's Fire Services and Law Enforcement teams are being assisted by the Cape Winelands District Municipality's (CWDM's) Disaster Management Services and Fire Services teams, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and other safety partners. All residents of Newton up to Jan van Riebeeck Drive will be voluntarily evacuated to ensure their safety. The evacuees will be temporarily accommodated at family members and friends.
In the meanwhile, the Municipality's teams are working around the clock to keep municipal services up and running, reopen roads that were closed, and ensure the safety of everyone in the current wet weather conditions. All disaster management teams remain on high alert in lieu of the Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall that the South African Weather Service issued earlier for Thursday, 11 July 2024, for the municipalities of Drakenstein, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.
In certain residential areas such as Paarl, Paarl East, Wellington, Hermon and Mbekweni, Drakenstein Municipality has been responding to incidents of localised flooding by providing the affected households with sandbags and plastic sheeting to help isolate and keep the water out of their homes.
Roads and mountain passes affected by rising water levels
Various roads in Paarl and Wellington have been affected by rising water levels, while Bainskloof (on the Wellington side) and Du Toitskloof Passes have also been closed. Drakenstein Municipality's Traffic Services, together with Western Cape traffic authorities, have been assisting with redirecting traffic, while the Municipality's Roads teams are working hard to make roads and areas safe and accessible as soon as possible.
At the time of writing, the following roads were affected by rising water levels (please follow the Municipality's official Facebook page and WhatsApp channel for regular updates):
- Sonstraal Road, Paarl
- Jan van Riebeeck, Abbatoir and Ambagsvallei Roads, Paarl
- Jupiter and Westhoven Roads, Paarl;
- Klein Drakenstein Road, Paarl
- Bo-Dal Road behind Newton, Wellington
- Jan van Riebeeck and Fairview Roads, Paarl
As the weather permits, the Municipality's Roads teams continue to fill up and repair potholes that have formed as a result of the last couple of days' consistent rain.
Furthermore, the Municipality's Stormwater division is clearing minor blockages caused by litter and other objects thrown into drains, to ensure a good flow of stormwater.
So far, the Municipality has not received any reports of major damage to municipal infrastructure.
Electricity outages
The Municipality's Electro-Technical Services teams are working as fast as they can to restore power to affected areas such as Weltevrede Street in Wellington. The Municipality continues to monitor the Drakenstein electricity network and have additional technical personnel and service providers on standby in case of further power outages, as well as additional administrative personnel in its Control Room, ready to answer telephone calls. The Municipality encourages residents to contact their ward councillors who will direct issues to the relevant Mayoral Committee Member and department (see contact details of all ward councillors here: Drakenstein - Contact-a-Councillor).
Postponement of sports activities
The heavy rainfall has caused Drakenstein Municipality's sports fields to become waterlogged. Therefore, no sport or other activities will be able to take place on any municipal field until further notice - to ensure the safety of players and prevent damage to the fields. Further communication will be directed to the sport fraternity, federations and broader community on field usage in terms of practice and play.
Homeless persons
The Municipality's Law Enforcement officials worked during the night to move homeless persons away from under bridges and other low-lying areas to places of safety.
Postponement of burial activities
The inclement weather conditions make it unsafe to proceed with burial activities at Drakenstein Municipality's cemeteries. As such, no burials will be able to take place from 10 to 14 July 2024 at any of the municipal cemeteries. It is important for the Municipality to make it possible for families to bid farewell to their loved ones in a dignified way.
What can the community do
The Municipality urges the community to play their part by:
- Clearing their homes' gutters and downpipes from leaves and debris to assist with the flow of stormwater;
- Making sure their properties' drains are clear of obstructions;
- Refraining from dumping litter or from storing items in stormwater drains;
- Being cautious and staying clear of riverbanks; and
- Limiting travel where possible. If you are on the road, however, remember that visibility might be poor; so, allow yourself enough time to reach your destination.
To report an incident, residents can:
In case of an emergency, residents can contact the Municipality at 080 131 3553 toll free (all hours).
Strictly for fires, contact the Municipality's Fire Services at 021 872 2323 (all hours).
To donate items, residents can drop off any donations at the Paarl Fire Station, Berg River Boulevard, Paarl (open all hours).
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
