The North West Province needs R100 million for flood damage | Infrastructure news

Preliminary assessment estimates the cost of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by floods across the North West Province at over R100 million. North West Premier Thandi Modise says this will require emergency funding to be fast tracked.

Although the final assessment has not been concluded Modise says repairs to the damaged infrastructure and the enhancement of the design and structural quality of the damaged infrastructure such as houses, bridges, roads and culverts has already commenced. According to the premier, a lack of spatial planning, poor drainage systems, and municipal by-laws that result in uncoordinated and unplanned human settlements on low lying areas and river banks, urban areas had increased vulnerability and magnitude of flooding.

The Kagisano-Molopo community was the worst affected by flooding. 280 km of road and 5 culverts were damaged and 232 houses were affected, 25 of which had collapses. Three bridges were also damaged in Moses Kotane and two in Madibeng Local Municipalities.

The final consolidated assessment report will determine whether the province will be declared a disaster area. The Madibeng Local Municipality has already submitted a request to the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality to declare it a disaster area in terms of section 54 and 55 of the Disaster Management Act.

Modise says the need for municipalities to incorporate disaster risk reduction into their development planning has been identified by the Provincial Disaster Management Centre as a crucial medium to long term intervention.

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