Eastern cape drought
NMB Metro says water projects on track
The metro has seen one of the worst droughts since 2015 and last year the taps were close to running dry.
Minister Sisulu visited the province with her deputy David Mahlobo on Monday to assess the situation, which she said had deteriorated.
In the Eastern Cape, no one can remember the last proper downpour. Some say it was five years ago, others six.
The town has three reservoirs, but they're running low. There are also a number of boreholes, but it's not enough to beat off a drought.
The town is struggling with severe water shortages, amid a devastating drought in the Eastern Cape.
The town's main water supply, the Nqweba Dam was completely dry, and residents were relying on trucks to deliver water.
The town has effectively run out of water, with NGOs like the Gift of the Givers stepping in to help residents access the life-giving liquid.
The town is almost entirely reliant on water tankers and humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers has been instrumental in drilling new boreholes to ensure those tankers can be filled.
The province's dam levels are currently at 50%, with the the Joe Gqabi District Municipality warning residents to boil water before drinking it.
The organisation said that the request for fodder amongst emerging and commercial farmers was overwhelming.
They are hoping relief funding granted during the past financial year will be rolled over to the present financial year.
The Eastern Cape Government said the unaccounted R22 billion of wasteful, irregular, and fruitless expenditure in the 2016 and 2017 financial year doesn’t necessarily mean there’s corruption in the province.
Local authorities are in full blown crisis mode as the town of Adelaide survives by tapping bore holes and the Fish River line.
Residents have taken to the streets in protest and have marched on the city hall this week to highlight their grievances.
The department is asking residents and farmers in the Eastern Cape to reduce their water consumption by 80% to prevent a looming water disaster.
Water and environmental affairs spokesperson Sputnik Ratau says dam levels are still out of the margins the department was looking at in order to lift the restrictions.
Cooperative Governance Minister Des Van Rooyen has slammed the Western Cape provincial government for the slow expenditure of drought relief funding.
At least 17,0000 hectares of pasture burnt over 18 hours in Cathcart over the weekend.
The 10-day festival starts in Grahamstown on Thursday.