Question NW4182 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
21 December 2015 - NW4182
Matsepe, Mr CD to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
With reference to his comments at the inter-ministerial briefing on drought held on 13 November 2015, where he requested municipalities to report on the extent of the drought and water shortages they are facing, for each municipality, (a) what is the situation as reported and (b) what assistance is being offered to mitigate the reported water problems?
Reply:
(a) The conditions vary from province to province. Some of the severely affected drought areas are impacted by the wasteful usage of water, lack of maintenance of infrastructure, poor farming practices and non-implementation of measures to mitigate against the impact of drought. The Water and Agricultural Sectors are the most affected. Although some rainfall has fallen in some parts of the country, it has not been sufficient to have a meaningful impact on the drought situation. All the affected stakeholders continue to monitor the conditions on the ground and early warning and advisory information is regularly being disseminated to communities for preparedness and informed decision making.
(b) There are concerted efforts within the Department of Cooperative Governance, key government departments and stakeholders regarding the current drought conditions. The main focus is on the implementation of extraordinary measures to mitigate further impacts of drought such as the enforcement of water restrictions, the repair and maintenance of infrastructure and coordinated efforts on the awareness and advocacy campaigns.