The Joburg Road Agency’s regional teams have devised an action plan to tackle a backlog road-related defects across the City, with special attention to stormwater infrastructure as we continue to have intermittent rainfall.

The areas of concern are those with low-lying bridges such as in Regions A, C and G, as they are more likely to result in serious flooding which poses a safety hazard to residents.

​While the JRA continues to carry out the maintenance of road infrastructure, keeping stormwater drains clean and safe requires collaborative effort. Small acts of accountability and responsibility help a great deal to mitigate the problem of blocked drains.

In the recent months, the country has experienced heavy rains, which resulted in many flooded roads across the City. As part of the JRA’s general maintenance routine, the cleaning of stormwater drains is a top priority in ensuring that the City’s road infrastructure is safe and useable for our communities.

The JRA’s proactive maintenance plan, ahead of the rainy season, includes unblocking kerb inlets, reinstating collapsed drain covers and skofelling of weeds around the kerbs to ensure easy flow of rain water into the drains.

The cleaning of drains includes the removal of small and large items and substances such as silt or sand that has fallen from the transporting trucks, rubble such as small vehicle parts, and other refuse including plastics and bottles. In many cases a jet vac machine would be required to retrieve items that cannot be cleared out through man power.

The City urges communities to refrain from disposing refuse and other unsuitable items into the stormwater drains and to report all stormwater infrastructure defects via  Twitter: @MyJra; Facebook: Johannesburg Roads Agency; Customer contact centre: 0860 562 874 and email hotline@jra.org.za

Written by Kelebogile Mafa