Africa-Press – South-Africa. Developing disaster management plans and adapting them to climate change realities are just some of the measures the government is pushing to prevent a repeat of the devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods.
According to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, several plans are being implemented, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, to better deal with severe weather conditions.
‘The damage is huge’ – KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala visits flood-hit areas in Durban
This was contained in Dlamini-Zuma’s response to a written parliamentary question from EFF MP Mathibe Rebecca Mohlala.
According to Dlamini-Zuma, the government’s plan includes:
Furthermore, Dlamini-Zuma said there would be more engagement with other departments.
She said Cogta “will continue to collaborate with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) in supporting the district municipalities to develop the district climate change adaptation plans as well as providing capacity-building programmes to the district municipalities on climate change with the view to facilitate mainstreaming of climate consideration into the municipal planning system.”
She said this will be done with the development of various tools such as Greenbook and Lets-respond Toolkit, which are aimed at offering the municipality with tools that could be used in planning for climate change response, she said.
In April, flooding left more than 400 dead and 40 000 people displaced, with billions of rands worth of damage caused to homes and infrastructure.
Hundreds evacuated as KZN floods wreak havoc while 3 bodies, 2 with ‘gunshot wounds’, found near river
At the weekend, there was more flooding causing havoc and damage to infrastructure.
Dlamini-Zuma said inter-departmental support complements the current and planned work on disaster management planning and impact-based early warning training with the South African Weather Service.
“The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the South African Weather Service will conduct impact based training for all districts in KwaZulu-Natal for the 2022/23 financial year.”
The South African Weather Service and the NDMC will continue issuing weekly impact-based early warnings for approaching severe weather systems, especially in the eastern coastal area.
“The NDMC will continue to distribute seasonal plans to all disaster management stakeholders highlighting hazard-prone areas for medium-term planning and informed decision-making,” she said.
Never miss a story. Choose from our range of newsletters to get the news you want delivered straight to your inbox.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
