The rainfall over the past week has been an incredible boost for the metro’s dam levels, pushing them to over 80%. However, the interior parts of the province remain in distress which is of grave concern for the Karoo region.
MPP Andricus van der Westhuizen said: “An assessment in the Karoo found that no vegetation had survived the drought, planted pastures and fodder banks had been depleted, excess animals had been culled, and farmers were forced to sell breeding stock to survive. Three years of average or above-average rainfall would be needed to recover from the drought.
National government is failing in the maintenance of infrastructure and support to these drought stricken areas of the Western Cape.”
In October 2019, although there was an amount of R147 million requested by the provincial department to assist with drought relief, the National department only provided R50 million to drought stricken farmers in the Karoo. This accounts for only a third of what was needed to relieve the burden of the drought.
MPP van der Westhuizen comments: “This goes to show that although the Western Cape has significantly contributed to food security, national government remains idle to the concerns of farmers and the industry as a whole.
Furthermore, this year (2020) the national Department of Water and Sanitation provided an amount of R25 million toward drought relief, though the reality is that the need is estimated to be six times that amount. While the province is seen to be conserving water to the best of its ability national government seems to be doing little to nothing to further assist.”
As nature cannot be predicted, the funds so desperately needed from national government will go a long way for the Karoo and its residents.
MPP Andricus van der Westhuizen added: “I urge national government to swiftly improve and prioritise maintenance of water infrastructure, including canals and dams. As we approach the summer season, the work we put in now will determine whether or not our dams will serve us well in the future.
I also call on all residents of the Western Cape to use water wisely and sparingly in order to remain water wise. As we approach the summer season in just four months the work we put in now will determine whether or not our dams will last in the future”.
Water conservation remains of key importance to the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape as the security of this resource can only be maintained through the co-operation of all residents within the province.
