THE leadership of uThungulu District Municipality is very concerned about the drought that is ravaging the entire province of KZN, particularly in the most rural areas of the district.
This was stated by uThungulu Technical Services Portfolio Chairperson Cllr Thamsanqa Gcabashe, after a successful drought awareness campaign held last week.
Gcabashe led a team of officials from local municipalities, including water ambassadors, on a blue bus activation in major hubs of the district.
The campaign was organised by uThungulu District Municipality in partnership with the Department of Water and Sanitation.
‘As one of the regions most hard-hit by drought, we were targeted for this campaign along with several other drought-stricken districts from the north to the south of the province.
‘We had blue bus activations in areas such as Melmoth, Ndundulu, Gingindlovu, eShowe, Mfolozi, Richards Bay, eSikhaleni and Empangeni, where we were accompanied by water ambassadors who included celebrities from the popular Zone 14 TV show, who passed messages of water conservation to our communities through stage plays.’
Gcabashe said while the rivers and dams in the districts were well below acceptable levels, the districts had implemented water restrictions in several towns within uThungulu, and this was working.
‘This is not an ideal situation and unfortunately adequate rainfall is needed to fill up the water sources. We are however continuously assessing alternative means of acquiring water supplies, whether it be via boreholes or water tankers.
‘As uThungulu we also wish to thank our communities for their patience and cooperation during this period of drought. Our message to everyone is simple, continue to use water sparingly and help us save this precious resource,’ he said.
