Pretoria – The declaration of KwaZulu-Natal as a disaster area has been welcomed by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
KwaZulu-Natal has been declared a disaster zone as the drought throughout the province intensifies.
MEC Dube-Ncube said the declaration was a much needed shot in the arm for the province’s bid to provide relief to communities and the provincial economy as the wells and taps were running dry.
“This brings hope for our communities and the provincial economy since it means that as a province we will be fighting this crisis with national government and this will help strengthen our efforts at mitigating the impact of the drought,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
However, the support the province receives from national government will only go so far in providing some relief, she warned.
“We still need to continue to conserve water, use water sparingly because these dry times are actually a global phenomenon that is said to be going to prevail along with the climate change and global warming phenomena.”
The Kokstad and Ingwe Municipalities have this week become the latest in announcing the implementation of major water restrictions.
Ixopo dam has reached a critically low level of 30% and mandatory curtailments in the distribution of water have commenced.
Areas to be affected include Ixopo town, Morningside, Fairview and Hospital areas. The water restrictions are being implemented to mitigate the risk to supply assurance in the short term and to prevent the taps from running dry.
The MEC reiterated the call to save every drop of water because as of now every drop counts.
“The effects of climate change are with us as evidenced by the below average rainfall received during the winter season which has left a number of dams almost dry.
“KwaZulu-Natal is on the red-code in as far as water is concerned and drastic interventions are being undertaken to manage the drought crisis.” – SAnews.gov.za
