Major lift for Bay infrastructure
THE Eastern Cape’s nine drought stricken and water scarce municipalities will benefit from more than R100-million allocated by the national government’s water infrastructure programme.
Seven municipalities under the jurisdiction of the droughtstricken Sarah Baartman district authority are also set to benefit from a R433.5-million fund announced recently by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize.
The minister made the allocation as part of an immediate drought disaster relief plan for the three worst-affected provinces, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
His announcement was a welcome development for the three provinces as farmers have been grappling with the severe drought for three years.
Hundreds of thousands of livestock have died, villagers have gone for days on end with no water and municipalities have launched massive water-saving campaigns.
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro was allocated the lion’s share of the R104-million infrastructure cash injection.
The metro has battled constant challenges with dilapidated and aging water supply and storage infrastructure in recent years.
Now R97-million will become available to ease the crisis.
Equally drought hit local councils – such as Mbhashe, Makana, Ndlambe, Sunday’s River Valley, Koukamma, Kouga, Blue Crane Route and Dr Beyers Naude municipalities – will benefit from the national disaster fund.
Some of those allocations have already been transferred to the affected municipalities while the remainder will become available to them at the start of the national government’s new financial year, which is Sunday, April 1.
Announcing the allocation recently, Mkhize said the severity of the drought was still evident in Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape. “Other provinces are also affected, with pockets of drought on varying scales in some areas,” he said.
The drought in the three provinces was escalated to a national state of disaster in a Government Gazette notice on March 13.
From the R434-million disaster fund Sundays River Valley will receive just over R2-million, Mbhashe R1.3-million, Kouga just over R1-million, Ndlambe R950 000, Makana R810 000, Kouga R770 000 and Dr Beyers Naude municipality just over R468 000. —