Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said thousands of people living across nine River Murray council areas would qualify for the one-off $300 payments, which are targeted at state government concession and Centrelink recipients.

To qualify, those eligible must demonstrate that their commute to work, volunteering, essential services, carer duties or medical appointments has blown out by at least 30 minutes, three times a week due to flood-prompted ferry and road closures.

The government expects to spend $1-3 million in total on the payments – on top of the $178 million relief package it announced last week.

“As onerous as it is to be forced to travel these extra distances, if we can make that decision a bit easier for people by claiming some or all of the cost then we think that’s a good thing for the state government,” Mullighan said in Tailem Bend this morning.

“The last thing we want to see is people stopping engaging in their communities, stopping their volunteering efforts.”

Mid Murray Council Mayor Simone Bailey welcomed the government’s announcement, telling InDaily that some people had resorted to staying at other people’s houses so that they could continue working while roads and ferries were shut.

“From what I’ve heard from the people that work, especially in Mannum, the increase in travel has been crazy,” she said.

“It (the payments) definitely would be welcomed by those people that are already struggling.”

All up, more than 120 roads and 10 of 13 River Murray ferry services have shut, significantly increasing the time it takes locals to travel throughout the region.

The Tailem Bend ferry is at risk of closure within the next four to seven days, meaning what was previously a 10-minute exercise to cross the river will turn into an 80-kilometre round trip to access the road crossing at Murray Bridge.

Ferries at Cadell and Narrung might also close by mid-January as the flood peak continues down the river.

“We don’t want to have them (ferries) close a moment too soon or a moment too late, so getting that balance right is important,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

“We keep the ferries operating for as long as we possibly can. We want to bring them back online as quickly as we can.

“Sometimes the reason for the ferry’s closure is nothing to do with the ferry itself – it’s about the surrounding roads.”

The flood peak has passed Mannum, with the river level topping out at about 2.5 metres higher than normal on Saturday.

Floodwaters behind the levee in Mannum’s main street. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

The peak is expected to reach Murray Bridge, Jervois and Wellington in the coming days before reaching the Lower Lakes later this month.

The State Emergency Service on Saturday closed the lower section of Mannum’s main Randell Street after water started leaking from a stormwater pipe on the dry side of the town’s main levee.

A flooded shop on the river side of the levee in Mannum’s main street. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Bailey said Randell Street reopened to pedestrians on Sunday afternoon, while some stores including Mannum Hardware remain shut.

Owner Nigel Reichstein said his store had been impacted by ongoing power outages and the street closure since New Year’s Eve.

“There’s been a few days of open, close, open, close,” he said.

“It won’t be for a couple of months before things are back to normal.”

Bailey said the Mid Murray Council was now turning its mind to the recovery effort, but the full extent of the damage wouldn’t be determined until after the water recedes.

“We’ve got many, many roads that are under water, so we need to look at that first and then go from there,” she said.

“It’s still a bit of the unknown but it’s great to see people help each other out.

“There’s a great story about a guy on the main street – he’s asked for donations for drinks and ice-creams for the road workers that have to come and clear out our stormwater every two to three hours in the main street.

“He just put the call out and within an hour he had so many Cokes and ice-creams for those workers.

“It was great to see the camaraderie in the community.”

– with AAP