Riverlands dam collapse classified as a provincial disaster
On 8 August, surging floodwaters from four collapsed dams situated on a nearby farm damaged people's homes and municipal infrastructure.
The aftermath of the damage caused by a dam wall burst which resulted in flooding in Riverlands, Western Cape. Picture: Facebook.com/GoedgedachtTrust
CAPE TOWN - The Riverlands dam disaster has been classified as a provincial disaster, two months after widespread flooding wreaked havoc in the small town outside Cape Town.
On 8 August, surging floodwaters from four collapsed dams situated on a nearby farm damaged people's homes and municipal infrastructure.
More than 200 people were affected and sought shelter with friends, family, a church, and a community centre.
The Department of Water and Sanitation's preliminary report has fingered the Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development Department, which owns the land the dams were on.
While most of the ground has dried up from the disastrous August floods, the smell of sewage still lingers in the air in some parts of Riverlands.
The disaster classification for Riverlands was received from the National Disaster Management Centre on Friday.
Local government, environmental affairs, and development planning spokesperson, Wouter Kriel, explained what would happen next.
"This will now be gazetted and then declared as a provincial disaster by the provincial government. This does not mean that any support is not being provided at the moment."
Kriel said that the disaster declaration would enable the provincial government to ask for additional funding to help the people of Riverlands.