Calamitous rain and floods in South Africa

According to official reports, 443 people have died in the torrential rains that lashed Kwazulu-Natal province and its capital, Durban. Schools, churches, office buildings got uprooted. And amidst the rains and floods, people had no water to drink. Natural disaster is the term applied for extreme weather conditions. They would recur time and again at certain intervals, and it seemed that nature’s excesses are part of the rhythm. But now, most experts think that this is due to climate change, due to environmental degradation.

It is now known that urban areas face floods because of the concretisation of the habitat with no trace of greenery or water harvesting facilities. There is also the other aspect of the natural disaster in South Africa. It is the poorer section of the people who are most affected floods and other extreme weather conditions. But so far, most experts in South Africa deem it to be a freak outbreak of torrential rains, which in turn caused floods and destruction. No one is yet terming it as an extreme weather event which has become common in many parts of the world, from Europe to America.

It is estimated that 40,000 people have lost their homes, 13,500 houses damaged and 4,000 houses destroyed. Sihle Zikalala, premier of the province, said, “The loss of life, destruction of homes, the damage to the physical infrastructure…make this natural disaster one of the worst ever in recorded history of our province.” The disaster hit on Easter Sunday, and the flood-affected people were emotional as they turned to pray. According to news agency reports, “Worshippers at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa raised hands as tears rolled down, while others fell to the ground during emotional prayers.”

While neighbouring countries like Mozambique were known to experience floods and storms, this is the first time that South Africa faced such a devastating situation. The country had been severely hit by Covid-19, especially the Omicron variant, and there were political riots during supporters of former president Jacob Zuma went on the rampage. South Africa has rarely faced a natural disaster of this proportion and intensity.

The government has announced $68 million in emergency relief. Deputy Social Development Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said that 340 social workers have been deployed to offer support to traumatised survivors, with missing children and other relatives.

Tales of woe from Durban, the main urban centre in the province are shattering. Mthobisi Gasa, a 24-year-old retail trainee saw his two-bedroom house collapse before his eyes. He said, “My door would not open, so I looked through the window and I realized it was completely filled with water. I forced the door open, and the entire front area of my house collapsed. I decided to save important things and then watched entire house fall. The floods have destroyed me.”

The South African government as well as that of the KwaZulu-Natal are sure to probe the reasons for the unsuspected torrential rain and the destruction it brought in its trail. And there would be plans to prevent the destruction of life and property. But more importantly, this might require a more holistic environmental thinking to face future natural disasters. It cannot be dismissed as a freak phenomenon that is bound to recur with lesser frequency. It is, however, more likely that there would be more such events than less.

National and local governments would have to plan to minimise the damage done by natural disasters as these. And this would involve factoring in environmental factors. Cities would need planning with emphasis on environmental aspects, and people in rural habitat may need timely warning and disaster shelters to face the fury of rain and storm.