Showers bring no sigh of relief

The weekend’s heavy downpours in drought-stricken areas throughout Zululand were an answer to prayer.

But make no mistake – it only brought temporary respite and by no means signals the end to the critical drought.

The announcement by KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube on Tuesday depicts the harsh reality on the ground.

Non-essential use of water has been banned in nine drought-stricken municipalities throughout the province including the uThungulu District.

And for those who fail to heed government’s call to conserve water, there will be severe consequences and fines according to Dube-Ncube.

The provincial government says the ‘drought is getting out of control’ and they now require wide-ranging support from the public to manage the effects of this natural disaster.

As authorities struggle to ensure water security in the province with a drought relief fund of R352-million, Zululanders have been urged not to fill their swimming pools, wash their cars and water their gardens.

The funding will among others assist in the provision of water tankers and in refurbishing ailing boreholes in some districts.

The serious situation cannot be sugar coated anymore and the weather forecast for the upcoming winter season spells no relief either.

The SA Weather Service has warned that the country is heading into an El Nino phase and rainfalls are expected to be lower than usual.

To add to the region’s woes, the major storage dams are only half of what they were last year during the same period.

The prospect of a very dry winter is likely and this will be detrimental to local farmers, who rely on irrigation for their crops.

This could affect areas such as the Nkwaleni Valley, Heatonville and even the Pongola cane farmers.

Rural farm dams have already dried up and livestock casualties have been reported owing to the lack of grazing and water supply.

Next week, Dube-Ncube will unveil plans to respond to the drought situation and the farmers’ plight. But in the meantime, consumers need to take the warnings seriously and do their utmost to conserve water daily.