South Africa’s Western Cape moves to officially declare disaster over wildfires, water crisis
More than 100 000 hectares of land have burned across the province, with fires in the Overstrand and Cape Winelands regions.
South Africa’s Western Cape Province is preparing a submission to Cabinet to have the province declared a disaster area, as devastating wildfires and a deepening water crisis place mounting pressure on resources, according to a federal government statement.
Provincial Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell told a press briefing on Tuesday night that Knysna Municipality was facing a deteriorating water situation.
State media SABC reports Knysna Municipality has renewed appeal to residents to drastically reduce water consumption to 50 litres per person per day.
“Especially when you look at our fire season and the water crisis, the pressure is enormous,” Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell said.
‘Runaway fires’
“These runaway fires have severely depleted our budget. The sooner we declare a disaster for both water and fire, the sooner we can shift funding, make quicker decisions, and focus our efforts where they are needed most,” Bredell added.
Bredell said a disaster declaration by the National Disaster Management Centre would allow the province to move funds rapidly across departments and respond more effectively to the crisis.
“At this stage, Knysna is consuming more water — about 12 megalitres per day — than it can supply,” Bredell warned. “If we can reduce consumption to 50 litres per person per day and bring additional sources online, we can avoid a Day Zero situation.”
Turning to wildfires, Bredell said the fire season has been exceptionally intense and is expected to continue into April and May as hot and dry conditions persist.
“We will now make internal financial adjustments to ensure the 21 aircraft at our disposal can remain operational, with final costs reconciled during the adjustment budget process later this year,” he said.
More than 100,000 hectares of land have burned across the province, with fires in the Overstrand and Cape Winelands regions requiring the deployment of more than 500 firefighters to protect communities, infrastructure, and biodiversity.