Wits experts find April floods 'most catastrophic' in KZN history
Experts have urged
cities and towns to prepare their infrastructure and drainage systems for
future heavy rainfall and flood events.
A new study by researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand has found that last year's flood in April was the most catastrophic natural disaster recorded, so far, in KZN.
They also found that flooding events in the province have doubled in the last century.
The April floods which hit the province a year ago killed over 400 people, destroyed thousands of homes and damaged infrastructure whilst making an economic impact.
The study by two Wits professors has looked into the geographical history of flooding disasters in KZN since the 1840s.
The scientist found that the recent floods were indeed the most catastrophic in terms of the lives lost, infrastructure damage and economical loss. But the floods were not the biggest in terms of the area affected, homes destroyed and the amount of rainfall recorded.
READ: eThekwini still in the dark over missing R30m flood relief
The flooding event in September 1987 affected a larger geographic area of KZN and destroyed more homes than last year.
In 1856, a flood also hit the province in April and saw a greater quantity of rainfall recorded over a three-day period.
During these floods an unknown number of people drowned, the entire Durban central were flooded, bridges were destroyed and roads were closed for several days.
Wits Professor Stefan Grab says it's highly likely that the trend of flooding will continue for the foreseeable future considering the impact of global warming.
