Jackson Sebola-Samanyanga, who specializes in built environment in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng has blamed climate change for the recent disastrous flooding in some areas of the country.
As the downpours continue, officials in Durban and Johannesburg are making efforts to ensure residents’ safety. Disaster management professionals are also working around the clock to stop widespread infrastructural damage in both provinces even though the bad weather is predicted to continue.
However, Sebola-Samanyanga, acknowledged that poor spatial planning contributed to the terrible floods in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, even if climate change appears to be the primary cause.
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This year’s flooding in KZN, which left more than 450 people dead and thousands more displaced, caught the government on the back foot.
According to reports, the devastation from those provinces’ severe downpours was greater than what the 2019 floods caused.
“Since then, the government ought to have improved its response to mudslides and flash floods, particularly in communities that were already at risk, said Sebola-Samanyanga. “We need to change the way we view and understand our cities,”.
This story was adapted from EWN.
