Global warming has made it inevitable that devastating disasters would befall the Western Cape, requiring all levels of local government to team up if the province was to cope, said Local Government and Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi.
He spoke on Tuesday at the launch of the Provincial Intergovernmental Disaster Management Structure.
The cost of disasters in the Western Cape exceeded R1-billion last year and research showed that the province was prone to 38 types of disasters, Dyantyi told officials from government, municipalities and state-owned enterprises, most notably Eskom, who teamed up for the launch of the initiative at the Provincial Emergency Management Centre in Tygerberg on Tuesday morning.
Premier Ebrahim Rasool also officially endorsed the launch of the initiative.
Dyantyi, who hosted the ceremony, said flooding and fires were of particular concern in the Western Cape and climate change was making things worse.
"In one year we'll have flooding, fire, swine fever, hail storms and drought. We're no longer in a situation of waiting for Hurricane Katrina to strike. We know we have fires every summer, we know we have floods in winter. This has forced us to become creative with our solutions," Dyantyi said in an interview.
Recent major disasters include flood damage of R2,5-million in Cape Town in January 2005; the destruction of 3 150 structures in a fire at Joe Slovo informal settlement, also in January 2005; drought reported by 13 municipalities in March 2005; flood damage of R605-million in the southern Cape in July and August 2006; hail damage of R9-million in Haarlem in November 2006; R1,2-billion of damage caused by flooding in the southern Cape in December 2007; and drought in the central Karoo in 2007 and 2008 amounting to R20-million in damages.
Dyantyi said each province had to implement the Disaster Management Act of 2002, requiring the establishment and maintenance of integrated and co-ordinated disaster management structures to prevent or reduce the risk of disasters and to mitigate their severity.
The act is also geared towards ensuring emergency preparedness, effective response and post-disaster recovery.
Dyantyi said the Western Cape was forced to be "more advanced" than other provinces in implementing the act, "because of the reality we are faced with".
On the first level of the initiative MECs, the SA Local Government Association (Salga) and state-owned enterprises would meet, probably on a quarterly basis, to discuss risks and plans for upcoming seasons.
The second level would be an advisory forum comprised of municipal and local government department heads to discuss concerns, budgetary needs and suggestions for managing disasters.
Thirdly, a steering committee headed by Hildegarde Fast, head of disaster management in the Department of Local Government and Housing, would have to meet regularly.
- Cape Times
He spoke on Tuesday at the launch of the Provincial Intergovernmental Disaster Management Structure.
The cost of disasters in the Western Cape exceeded R1-billion last year and research showed that the province was prone to 38 types of disasters, Dyantyi told officials from government, municipalities and state-owned enterprises, most notably Eskom, who teamed up for the launch of the initiative at the Provincial Emergency Management Centre in Tygerberg on Tuesday morning.
Premier Ebrahim Rasool also officially endorsed the launch of the initiative.
Dyantyi, who hosted the ceremony, said flooding and fires were of particular concern in the Western Cape and climate change was making things worse.
"In one year we'll have flooding, fire, swine fever, hail storms and drought. We're no longer in a situation of waiting for Hurricane Katrina to strike. We know we have fires every summer, we know we have floods in winter. This has forced us to become creative with our solutions," Dyantyi said in an interview.
Recent major disasters include flood damage of R2,5-million in Cape Town in January 2005; the destruction of 3 150 structures in a fire at Joe Slovo informal settlement, also in January 2005; drought reported by 13 municipalities in March 2005; flood damage of R605-million in the southern Cape in July and August 2006; hail damage of R9-million in Haarlem in November 2006; R1,2-billion of damage caused by flooding in the southern Cape in December 2007; and drought in the central Karoo in 2007 and 2008 amounting to R20-million in damages.
Dyantyi said each province had to implement the Disaster Management Act of 2002, requiring the establishment and maintenance of integrated and co-ordinated disaster management structures to prevent or reduce the risk of disasters and to mitigate their severity.
The act is also geared towards ensuring emergency preparedness, effective response and post-disaster recovery.
Dyantyi said the Western Cape was forced to be "more advanced" than other provinces in implementing the act, "because of the reality we are faced with".
On the first level of the initiative MECs, the SA Local Government Association (Salga) and state-owned enterprises would meet, probably on a quarterly basis, to discuss risks and plans for upcoming seasons.
The second level would be an advisory forum comprised of municipal and local government department heads to discuss concerns, budgetary needs and suggestions for managing disasters.
Thirdly, a steering committee headed by Hildegarde Fast, head of disaster management in the Department of Local Government and Housing, would have to meet regularly.
- Cape Times
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