Cape Town - Progress into the R292 million upgrade of Sir Lowry’s Pass River in an effort to reduce flooding in Gordon’s Bay was progressing well, the City said.

The pass, located in the Hottentots Holland Mountain Nature Reserve at around 1 200 metres above sea level, was expected to be completed by 2026 after it started in February last year.

Water and Sanitation Mayco member Zahid Badroodien announced that the upgrade would protect residents from future flooding and open up significant undeveloped land for residential development.

“Because of the kind of mountains that surround the river, the region has concentrated downpours for brief periods, which leaves the river vulnerable to severe flooding.

“With its ongoing programmes for river maintenance and upgrades, the City is making incredible progress.

“There are similar flood alleviation projects: the Lourens, Geelsloot and Macassar rivers and Soet River detention ponds projects, with investments into these initiatives and other projects City-wide costing over R122.23m for the 2023/2024 financial year,“Badroodien said.

He added that extensive upgrades entailed berm construction, grade levelling, and rectification of the Sir Lowry’s River’s alignment between the N2 in the north and False Bay (Indian Ocean).

This would open up land for development and lower the risk of flooding, he said.

“The construction of bridges, erosion control measures like riprap, gabions, berms, and small concrete structures, the creation of non-motorised transport facility pathways, service provision, landscaping, and the demolition of various walls and structures are all included in the upgrade,” Badroodien said.

The river has been divided into three regions based on its vertical alignment:

– Upper region (upper 1km), which is distinguished by steep slopes because of the surrounding mountains;

– Middle region (8km), which flows through hills, fynbos, vineyards, and Sir Lowry’s Pass Village;

– Lower region (3km), which is the base flow channel below the N2 highway before entering False Bay.

Cape Argus

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Major gains achieved with the R292 million Sir Lowry’s Pass River project presently underway