Emergency services have reported multiple accidents and injuries on wet and flooded roads.Photo provided
KwaZulu-Natal has been plagued by flooding for the last week, and emergency crews were overwhelmed on Wednesday as heavy rains again forced them to respond to multiple accidents on main and secondary roads.
The South African Weather Service has issued a Level 5 warning for heavy rain and possible flooding in the province.
“Significant rainfall is expected and soils are still saturated given recent state-wide flooding. Rainfall in excess of 80mm is predicted in some locations along the coast and in KZN's northern interior. “Risk of widespread flooding is high,” the Bureau of Meteorology warned.
A fatal accident involving multiple vehicles has been reported on the M7. Advanced life support (ALS) Emergency crews said five people were treated and taken to hospital, but one police officer died at the scene.
The M7 has since been closed in both directions.
ALS paramedics spokesperson Garris Jamieson said common areas include the M7 between Pinetown and Bluff, the M19 towards Reservoir Hills, the M13 towards Fields Hill and the M4 south towards Edwin Swales Drive. He said he was present at multiple sites.
According to KZN VIP Protection Services, staff treated about 20 children on their way to school at the corner of Phoenix Highway and Industrial Park Drive on Wednesday morning.
“When emergency services arrived they found at least three to four school children ejected from the vehicle, with the remainder suffering from minor to moderate injuries,” spokesman Gareth Naidoo said.
The state education department ordered all schools to close at 1 p.m. after receiving reports that flooding made it unsafe to continue classes. This day was the first day I returned to school after summer vacation.
Heavy rains have also disrupted the quality of water supplies, with higher levels of turbidity reported in the treatment of raw water pumped from Hazelmere Dam. This has resulted in a reduction in water levels, affecting water supply to Verulam, La Mercy, Sea Tides, Ndwedwe, Waterloo, Groutville and Balito areas under the jurisdiction of eThekwini Metro Municipality and Ilembe District Municipality.
“Due to the high turbidity of the raw water, we had to intensify backwashing and sludge removal to optimize production and achieve the required drinking water quality standards,” said an Umgeni Uthukela Water spokesperson. , said Siyabonga Mahumulo.
The water supplier added that although the water being supplied has slightly higher turbidity, it is “safe for consumption and has a nephelometric turbidity unit of less than 10, a measure of water turbidity.”
There are no negative health effects from this treatment.
The state's cooperative governance department advised people living in the affected areas to stay indoors and prepare for evacuation if weather conditions worsen.
Wednesday's flooding comes as the state struggles to cope with recent heavy rains that have left 10 people missing and 25 dead since the start of the year.
A number of roads, bridges and intersections remained closed on Sunday, including Ridge Road, the M4, M41 and multiple roads in Umhlanga, due to cave-ins and sections of roads being washed away.
The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued a Level 2 yellow warning for severe thunderstorms in parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.