Storm water drains serve one main purpose – to channel water away from a certain area to avoid flooding.
Ward 126 councillor Mike Tonkin fears that drains in his ward won’t be able to handle the rising levels of water that come with the rainy season.
Tonkin said Landhuis Street in the area has serious problems, as most of the storm water drains are not maintained by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
“A couple of drains in this road and area are collapsing and they won’t be able to channel water after the next rainstorm,” he said.
He added that the second problem is that the drains are all blocked. “If you crouch and look into one of these drains you will immediately notice that it is blocked by rubbish.”
The councillor added that the issue has been logged with JRA a couple of months ago and nothing has been done yet to rectify the problem.
“The roads entity isn’t willing to take any responsibility for the storm water drain problems in the area.”
JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers said the entity will be investigating the matter as all basic maintenance, such as kerb inlet cleaning, should be done on an ongoing basis in preparation for the seasonal rains.
“The community can also assist us by ensuring that these drains are not blocked with rubble and rubbish,” she added.
