A town planning expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu has urged municipalities in the province to ensure that their planners implement development control in informal settlements. She says such a move would prevent residents from settling in flood-prone areas.
The province has been battling with floods since last month.
Magidimisha-Chipungu explains what should be done to reduce the risk of floods in the province.
“River channelisation is basically trying to expand our river’s base, but also dig deeper to make sure that at least if there’s water, you have more space to accommodate water, but also the channeling which the water moves.”
“So it does have to get flooded especially in South Africa, even in KwaZulu-Natal most people get floods when they are crossing the rivers, so it’s because the capacity and the volume of the water in that particular river is high. So you want to lessen the impact but also delay the impact. And it has proven to work in a number of countries.”
VIDEO: KZN flash floods claim more lives:
