Riyaz Patel
Government has made available about R30mn for the procurement and distribution of fodder as part of its immediate intervention efforts in addressing the persistent drought in the Northern Cape.
Deputy President David Mabuza made the announcement during a tour of the Namakwa District in the province Friday.
He directed the human settlements and water department to increase the capacity of water provision by drilling more boreholes, and a commitment to help increase the current capacity of the province’s Fodder Bank.
Government will also engage with the Land Bank to seek ways to provide relief for defaulting farmers affected by drought.
The Northern Cape Province is currently experiencing persistent drought in all of its five districts.
Most areas are currently experiencing below average vegetation conditions, is being experienced over most areas, with almost 15,500 farms, with a carrying capacity of about 613 447 large stock units, severely affected by the conditions.
Calls to use water sparingly in Limpopo and Eastern Cape
The interventions in the Northern Cape coincided with calls for Limpopo and Eastern Cape residents to reduce water usage after dam levels dropped to an alarming 52% this week.
The latest weekly report showed that dam levels across the country are dropping at an average of 1% week-on-week.
“Sustained heavy summer rains across South Africa are the only hope to alleviate the situation. In the absence of rain, water conservation across the board must be intensified to avoid municipalities imposing stringent water restrictions,” said Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
Recent high temperatures in most parts of the country are believed to have had a negative impact on the country’s dam levels, which have since dropped from 65.7% last week to 64.8% this week.
Sisulu further appealed to Gauteng residents, including the business community, to use water sparingly during the two-month tunnel maintenance of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which started Tuesday.
