By Lloyd Govindsamy
The after effects of the floods in April and May are still being felt by the residents of Verulam and Tongaat, who are still without running water and electricity, in certain parts, while others are living in fear of their homes collapsing on them, due to the soil being swept away by the torrential rains that wreaked havoc in the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Among those fearing for their homes are the residents of FH flats in Flamingo Heights, Tongaat, who said they go to bed every night with the thought of laying their heads on a pillow in their home for the last time. These municipal owned flats are occupied by residents who pay rent monthly while they work on ownership of the property.
After more destructive rains hit KZN two weeks ago, causing wide spread damage and loss of life, these residents were not spared. A bank, no less than five meters away from the foundation of their home, was weakened and fell putting the lives of over 70 residents at risk.
One resident of these flats, Neeta Kalian said the heavy rains of April, which caused mass destruction and loss of life, had also affected them greatly as the stream that flows a few meters away from their house turned into a “complete river” that damaged stormwater drains and personal property. She said: “The floods we faced last month were so great that water actually gushed into our homes. There was even a family of four that was washed away and died. We couldn’t do anything to save them. Luckily the river bank broke on the other end which lessened the force of the water before more damages were caused. It was almost like a natural disaster one only sees on TV. People from the first floor grabbed whatever they took and ran to the second and third floor for safety. It was simply a matter of life or death.”
Kalian believes that due to unmaintained storm water drains, which are unable to cater for the amount of water flowing during heavy rains, their lives are now at risk. “Nobody can stop the rain. Rains like this are inevitable. Our people don’t have enough money to live, let alone put funds together to fix the damages ourselves. We just live in fear,” she said.
Levendra Krithallal said his mother and sister-in-laws lives in the FH flats and whenever severe weather is forecasted, fears for their safety rise. “During the heavy rains last month their entire home was flooded. Both my mother and sister-in-law had all their belongings were damaged. My mother-in-law is an 80-year-old pensioner with no money to restore her life to the comforts of her home before the flood. It is a low income household with people who have now lost most, if not all, their assets,” said Krithallal.
Ward 61 councillor, Dolly Munien said she was informed by the residents and that they were told in the year 1994, by engineers, that FH flats were “not built properly and will fall due to the not reinforced bank and heavy rains.” She said: “Everything predicted is coming back to us now. Some people are living in these homes for 28 years. I am currently working to provide these residents with ownership, however, I doubt most of them will take it.”
The eThekwini Municipality had yet to comment by the time of going to print.
