IN the run up to Human Rights Day, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal recently launched its ‘No water, no life’ campaign in a bid to highlight widespread water shortages in the north of the province.
The DA’s KZN Leader, Sizwe Mchunu, along with Local Government and Traditional Affairs Spokesperson George Mari MPL, uMkhanyakude Constituency Leader Mbali Ntuli MPL and Zululand East Constituency Leader Hlanganani Gumbi MPL unveiled the campaign earlier this month and said the health and lives of the region’s citizens are threatened as the area fast becomes a disaster zone.
According to the DA, water shortages are the results of poor water management, poor infrastructure maintenance and inadequate contingency planning for droughts.
Essential services including schools, clinics and hospitals have been disrupted and the party says a lack of sufficient water sources is a major obstacle in the region’s economy.
The DA has called on KZN Premier, Senzo Mchunu, to declare northern KZN a disaster zone and thus release much-needed funding to address the issue. The DA is currently visiting affected communities to highlight how water scarcity is the singular looming humanitarian crisis facing the province.
@TamlynJolly
