– By Bev Mortimer
It’s bitterly cold and extremely wet right now in St Francis and most areas of the Eastern Cape.
The continual rains locally are welcome and reason to celebrate for local farmers and residents with water tanks.
But for others who live in informal settlements, life is almost unbearable when there are heavy, continual rains, they say. No less for those in shacks in St Francis.
These photos sent in by Zwelitsha resident, Malixole Naka, who lives in Zwelitsha, one of the informal settlements in St Francis Bay, speak for themselves… “If the rains continue, we got big problems in Zwelitsha,” he says.
The problem of no storm water drainage in many areas of St Francis and no apparent help for local residents in Zwelitsha and other informal settlements or suburbs in St Francis, means life is truly tough for those who live in shacks…
As the photos show, and as the saying goes: It’s a case of ‘water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink’…
But as many locals say: “What is painful… a bitter irony though, is that the whole Kouga municipal area is actually a drought area, where we are continually asked to ‘Save Water!’
“The storm water causes many dams or ponds…
“But then, sadly, with no water harvesting, or dam structures, or extra reservoirs to contain the excess by authorities for future use, the rainwater slowly, but surely, disappears, sinking into the soil or flowing to the sea.“
Read recent floods in other area of Kouga.. https://stfrancischronicle.com/2023/05/19/hankey-residents-swimming-in-sewerage-are-up-in-arms/
