The City of Cape Town has called on motorists to exercise extreme caution and avoid driving through flooded areas and low-water crossings, as heavy rainfall continues to affect multiple parts of the city.
The warning comes amid ongoing downpours that have led to the temporary flooding of low-lying areas.
City’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said the sheer volume of ongoing rainfall has caused vleis, rivers and canals to reach capacity.
“This causes water to back up in the stormwater system and onto our roads which then act as water conduits. Low-lying areas, [including] areas below steep mountainous terrain and areas near canals and other water bodies, will experience localised flooding, whilst rainfall remains heavy,” Quintas said.
Quintas warned that roads may be closed at short notice in the interest of public safety and security. He said downpours are expected to continue throughout the day and assessments on the ground are ongoing, as reports come in.
“Most residents would have noticed that flooding of roads usually subsides within less than an hour after the rain has stopped and our stormwater infrastructure has had the opportunity to deal with the large volumes of water that entered the system,” the MMC said.
The City’s Transport Information Centre (TIC) is currently handling a high volume of calls, with residents reporting flooded roads and mudslides due to adverse weather conditions.
The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate continues to monitor the situation and will carry out further assessments once the rainfall subsides.
Residents and road users are urged to report persistent flooding, especially where water remains on roadways with no signs of drainage, by contacting the city on 0800656463, email [email protected], or SMS 31373 (no more than 160 characters).
This article was originally published on SA Gov News.