With heavy rains forecast for the coming week‚ the City of Cape Town has warned people living in the southern peninsula to take precautions to safeguard their properties against possible mudslides.

It said those living in close proximity or against mountain slopes were particularly at risk.

It added that over the past eight weeks‚ the city had put in a tremendous effort to limit the impact of possible mudslides in the southern peninsula‚ following devastating fires that had raged on the mountains in this area in March.

“To date‚ Transport for Cape Town (TCT)‚ the City’s transport authority‚ has spent over R2 million on preventative measures in the Southern Peninsula‚ with another million to be spent by the end of this month. We are trying our best to limit the possibility of damaging mudslides‚ but residents in this part of the city must also take action‚” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town‚ Councillor Brett Herron.

Residents need to ensure that excess flow from heavy rains is directed away from their properties‚ he advised.

“Some of our residents have prior experience of devastating mountain fires in previous years and they will be aware of the serious risks involved due to the lack of vegetation to hold soils in place. The after-affects thereof can be extremely acute during the rainy season‚ with severe flooding and debris coming off the mountain. I am urging residents not to underestimate the possibility of mudslides and to report blocked stormwater infrastructure so that we can take immediate action‚” said Councillor Herron.

During the past eight weeks‚ TCT has focused on preventative measures along Boyes Drive and Ou Kaapse Weg as these are the main traffic routes that could be affected by heavy rains.

Some of the preventative measures include the installation of silt curtains on the mountain slopes to intercept silt that may be washed down the slopes in heavy rains. It also includes the use of sandbags to increase the capacity of the existing drainage system and to redirect stormwater flows away from areas that are at risk of flooding.

Other measures include gabions — wire baskets filled with stones – which are commonly used within watercourses and other areas of high anticipated run-off to trap silt and debris‚ as opposed to silt curtains and sandbags which are too fragile to manage the heavy flows from the mountain.

So-called dragon teeth — traps made of vertical steel beams — are also being installed in front of the openings at stormwater catch-pits and mountainside stormwater inlet structures to prevent rocks and sticks from entering the stormwater system and blocking the stormwater pipes.