By Nkhensani Chauke
KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has called on traditional leaders to prioritise the allocation of safe land for residence to prevent disasters.
“We cannot overstress the significance of traditional leaders in allocating safe land for residence and in the fight against raging veld fires. We must not live in flood lines and in dry riverbeds because these may erupt in future with disastrous consequences,” Ntuli said on Thursday.
The premier said over R40 billion was lost to the province’s economy following disruptive floods in April and May.
“Shortly after the provincial and national elections of 29 May this year, as the new administration was settling down, veld fires raged across our communities, causing fatalities, and a tornado dismantled homes of communities in uThongathi,” he said.
The province’s economy was hit again with heavy snowfalls in September.
“This is unprecedented and needs some trend analysis to determine if it must be included in the list of the KZN hazards, but [it’s] definitely an extreme weather phenomenon to be reckoned with,’’ he said
Ntuli described the weather in the province as challenging, saying leaders had received warnings from scientists of disruptive weather conditions in the coming seasons.
“We can no longer behave as if everything is normal. Even scientists have warned us that the seasons will be wetter and hotter, we may have long drought and rains in the wrong season, and this may lead to a long-term catastrophe.
“That is unless we act, and we act now. Against this background, the 7th administration is embarking on a sustained multi-sectorial approach in addressing the issues related to climate change,” he said
He said they were conducting more research to navigate factors that contributed to climate change. More technology would be introduced to do so.
“We must make sure that vulnerable communities in townships and rural areas are not left behind but play a major role in shaping the future that is resilient to the harsh realities and conditions of an ever-changing environment and climate,” he said
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