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State of the Coast: KZN
State of the Coast: KZN

State of the Coast: KwaZulu-Natal Chapter 1: Introduction & Background Chapter 2: Overarching Drivers Chapter 3: Climate Variability
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The Profile of the KZN Coast
The Profile of the KZN Coast

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Coastal risk and vulnerability

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23 Apr 2019

Mother nature bares her teeth after night of heavy rains in Durban

Zainul Dawood (Daily News) Picture: Aubrey Welsh

Durban – Rivers around KwaZulu-Natal have absorbed much of the heavy rainfall this Easter.

The uMgeni River in Durban has been flowing at full force towards the river mouth at Blue Lagoon.  Hundreds of onlookers gathered along the Umgeni River to catch a glimpse of the high water level.

 

The uMgeni River. Picture by Aubrey Welsh

The Umgeni River. Picture by Aubrey Welsh

The uMgeni River. Picture by Michael Nelson.

The Umgeni River. Picture by Michael Nelson

 

 

Aubrey Welsh, a Morningside resident, posted a video of a sand bank Island floating along the river on Tuesday.

For Video 1: see Online Article 

He said, “After 24 hours of consistent rain, the uMgeni River in Durban is now twice its normal size but not yet overflowing its historical banks. What I found amazing was an entire island floating down towards the sea. I might buy it!”

Michael Nelson, a Durban resident, said he had never seen the river flowing very strongly before.

Mean while, eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede cautioned all residents to avoid high-risk areas and to be careful on the roads following continuous heavy rains that has ravaged most parts of the City.

Gumede said that emergency services were under massive pressure attending to flood-related life-threatening emergencies, however, this pressure is being exacerbated by people who are insisting on driving and getting themselves into unsafe situations.

“I urge residents not to enter fast flowing streams both in cars and as pedestrians. Many of our roads are flooded and some of the structures have been damaged. If possible, I would like to advise members of the public to stay off the roads at this stage,” said Gumede.

The following roads in the low lying areas are flooded and residents are urged to use alternative routes:

* Higgins highway /M1 at Bayview turn off westbound

* M4 Opposite Inkosi Albert Luthuli where it joins N2 by the old airport

* N2 Galleria

* N2 Prospecton

Bul-Bul Road Chatsworth Bridge collapsed

* Clairwood Sirdar road

* Sarnia road- opposite Bellair SAPS

* Mangosuthu highway in the vicinity of Megacity

* Somtseu and Stanger road

* M25 between Das Road

 

For Video 2: see Online Article

The uMgeni River was noted for previous flooding disasters in October 1917, in 1977 when Tin Town, Springfield flats was washed away and in the mid 1980’s.

Online Article