Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2024: Disaster Mitigation

Abstract

Cover feature Raging waters: New guideline aims to protect society from devastating flood impacts Thousands of people have been carried to their deaths by sudden and unpredictable floods in many parts of South Africa over the centuries. One of the most recent reminders of this terrifying power of floodwaters and mudslides came in April 2022, when at least 460 people died and more than 8 000 homes were destroyed in Durban and other parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. According to researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand, nearly 40 000 people became homeless, and up to 45 000 people were left temporarily unemployed following that flood. Roads and bridges were also torn away, along with tap water and sewage reticulation pipelines – leaving behind an infrastructure damage bill at around US$2 billion.

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