The Minister of the Department of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane announced on 1 November that drought has become a reality in other parts of the country, but not in Gauteng.
Speaking at the media briefing Mokonyane said, “The rainfall recorded by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) during September till middle of October 2015 revealed that early spring has not yielded the anticipated rainfall resulting in worsening drought conditions in some parts of our country.”
At present the drought-stricken provinces include KwaZulu-Natal and Free State and they have been declared disaster areas, while Limpopo is also experiencing water shortages.
However, she confirmed that Gauteng does not face imminent risk of water shortages. “Our own assessment and planning shows that we have enough water in the system and storage to guarantee supply to Gauteng in particular,” said Minister Mokonyane.
Political organisations have responded and challenged the Minister’s management of water in different municipalities.
AfriForum head of environmental affairs Julius Kleynhans said they are very concerned about the poor management by the National Water Regulator and most municipalities.
“We believe it’s time for an independent regulator to serve and protect our water resources,” said Kleynhans.
He added that the Department of Water and Sanitation did not spend the allocated R2 billion in 2014/2015.
“Though R2 billion is only a drop in the bucket, the money could’ve been spent to establish emergency water points, such as boreholes in towns, or upgrading water infrastructure which would’ve alleviated the crisis,” Kleynhans reckoned.
Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem said they are also concerned about the suffering of people and animals in the drought-ravaged areas of the country. Bloem said many experts have rated this year’s water shortage as the worst in a quarter century.
“This drought will devastate communities, create food and water shortages, push up prices of food, and make hardships for people as well as animals. It will also expose people to outbreaks of diseases. We will need, as a nation, to act proactively to protect against cholera and waterborne diseases,” said Bloem.
He further added that people must become water wise. “Furthermore, we must act quickly to change acid mine water from remaining a liability into the future and make its conversion into usable water economically viable at once,” said Bloem
Bloem concluded by saying the water shortage is a serious crisis and everybody must stand together to deal with the crisis.
