More rain expected overnight in Gauteng

The Weather Service has issued an orange level 5 alert for heavy downpours for Wednesday evening, especially over southern Gauteng. It says heavy rainfall may lead to flooding of roads and settlements, especially in the southern part of Gauteng.

People are warned not to try and cross flooded rivers.

Traffic may be also disrupted in the affected areas.

❗️Weather warning❗️ Orange level 5 warning for disruptive rain for today: 15/02/2023. pic.twitter.com/v285D3d0Wu

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) February 15, 2023

Bridges may be damaged from the heavy rains. Recent disruptive rains have also caused flooding in six other provinces including Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Dr Jackson Sebola-Samanyanga has blamed climate change for the flooding in many parts of the country. “On the one hand, you’ve got droughts, on the other we’ve got heat waves- now we’ve got floods, I won’t be surprised if we have snow later. It’s a matter of us being prepared for all these disasters, and not responding to them each and every time they happen.”

Sebola-Samanyanga adds, “This is a good opportunity now, to build up a team that incorporates a wide spectrum of professionals- engineers, agriculturalists- because this affects all other aspects, more than just infrastructure. This is an opportunity for them to start coming up with strategies and interventions that will be able to proactively engage with these disasters before they happen.”