Mudslides have closed Cape Town’s Chapman’s Peak — at least for the rest of the week.
Clean-up operations are under way following heavy rains that led to mud slides and the blocking of the road this past weekend.
Linton Konemann was on his way to his Noordhoek home at around midnight on Saturday. His car got stuck in a mud slide covering the entire road‚ leaving him stranded until a friend rescued him an hour later.
“It looked like the road had crumbled in places‚ there was mud and rocks all over‚” said Konemann.
A lecturer in geochemistry at UCT‚ Professor John Compton‚ said the area was in a critical period‚ after fires destroyed much of the vegetation on the Cape Peninsula earlier this year.
Compton believed that it would take between one and three years before bulbs and shrubs were strong enough to keep the soil in place.
“When you burn above ground and only have soil exposed‚ it is vulnerable to erosion‚” said Compton. “[This is] one of the potential hazards following a major fire.
“So when you have intense rainfall it can result in major movement of the soil‚ and that can result in mud slides or debris flow‚ which includes rocks.”
Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works spokesman Byron La Hoe said mud and debris slides were impossible to predict‚ but that events such as these could lead to possible safety upgrades in future.
“The downpour of more heavy rains could have a similar effect‚ hence the reason a full assessment will be made at the end of the week to determine how the mountain has performed‚” said La Hoe.
“The conditions are unstable‚ (because of the amount of water) and this could lead to more mud and debris slides with (further) heavy rainfall.”
In 2000 the road was closed for three years after fires led to dangerous rock falls‚ and catch fences were installed.
Cape Town's scenic Chapman's Peak could be risky for motorists until vegetation recovers from fires
Mudslides have closed Cape Town’s Chapman’s Peak — at least for the rest of the week.
Clean-up operations are under way following heavy rains that led to mud slides and the blocking of the road this past weekend.
Linton Konemann was on his way to his Noordhoek home at around midnight on Saturday. His car got stuck in a mud slide covering the entire road‚ leaving him stranded until a friend rescued him an hour later.
“It looked like the road had crumbled in places‚ there was mud and rocks all over‚” said Konemann.
A lecturer in geochemistry at UCT‚ Professor John Compton‚ said the area was in a critical period‚ after fires destroyed much of the vegetation on the Cape Peninsula earlier this year.
Compton believed that it would take between one and three years before bulbs and shrubs were strong enough to keep the soil in place.
“When you burn above ground and only have soil exposed‚ it is vulnerable to erosion‚” said Compton. “[This is] one of the potential hazards following a major fire.
“So when you have intense rainfall it can result in major movement of the soil‚ and that can result in mud slides or debris flow‚ which includes rocks.”
Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works spokesman Byron La Hoe said mud and debris slides were impossible to predict‚ but that events such as these could lead to possible safety upgrades in future.
“The downpour of more heavy rains could have a similar effect‚ hence the reason a full assessment will be made at the end of the week to determine how the mountain has performed‚” said La Hoe.
“The conditions are unstable‚ (because of the amount of water) and this could lead to more mud and debris slides with (further) heavy rainfall.”
In 2000 the road was closed for three years after fires led to dangerous rock falls‚ and catch fences were installed.
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