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As the wet, rainy winter months settle in over the Western Cape, early preventative flood maintenance on the Spaanschemats River in Constantia is seeing good progress.
Although any progress is good progress, other local waterways still require the City’s attention, according to chair of Friends of the Constantia Valley Greenbelts (FoCVG) Colin Walker.
The Spaanschemats River spans 5 km from Silverhurst Drive to the M3 freeway in Constantia, winding through both public and private land.
The scope of work to clear the river pathway included collection and clearing of litter, unblocking outlets and mini silt traps, trimming of alien invasive plants and exposure of stormwater infrastructure such as pipes, gabions and headwalls on the boundaries of the river.
Much of the work was done by hand, thanks to teams working steadfastly on the ground.
When the manual labour is completed, machinery will be used to dredge silt, ensuring a smoother hydraulic flow of water, which is especially crucial before the rainy season to reduce flood risks and property damage. “This project forms part of the City’s proactive river maintenance programme which seeks to improve inland water quality as one of the City’s Mayoral Priority Programmes, as well as for flood alleviation ahead of winter rainfall,” announced Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien.
He said the City invested R700 000 into this much-needed work in the Spaanschemats River, which is expected to conclude by the end of next month (June). “On this project, we were able to employ up to 40 locals,” Badroodien added.
This initiative also aims to restore the natural habitat, fostering the return of fauna and flora to the greenbelt area.
Last year, the City employed manual labour to clear a small section of the river due to a flooding incident. Based on the challenges of this experience, it was determined that further interventions would require the use of heavy machinery and vehicles for best results.
Other rivers prone to cause floods
Acknowledging steady progress being made by the City, Walker pointed to two other waterways in desperate need of cleaning before the winter.
One is Diep River flowing out from Alphen Trail and under the M3. They are both prone to heavy flooding during the rainy season. The other area is the Klaassenbosch Stream at the Oak Road retention weir. “This area floods heavily with even light rain now as the pipe under the wall is 90% blocked with sand and debris. I have called attention to this since the beginning of the year on walkabouts with a City official... to no avail,” said Walker.
An email titled “Klaasenbosch Greenbelt Flooding Risk” sent to City officials by a councillor dated 23 January shown to People’s Post proves the matter had been brought to the City’s attention.
