WC wants disaster status declared amid wildfires, water crisis

Wildfire raging in the Kouga Municipality, Western Cape.

The Western Cape government is drafting a proposal to Cabinet to declare the province a disaster area following the devastating wildfires and worsening water shortages.

At a media briefing on Knysna’s water crisis on Tuesday, Provincial Local Government Minister, Anton Bredell, said urgent access to funding is now critical.

Meanwhile, the Knysna Municipality is appealing to residents to drastically cut water use to 50 litres per person per day. The town has only about few days of usable water left, with the Akkerkloof Dam sitting at just 15%.

“Especially if you look at our fire season and the water crisis. Over 90 000 hectares we’ve lost. Big fires, runaway fires, our budget is a bit depleted on that. I’ve discussed this with the Premier as well. I think the sooner we declare the province on water and fire a disaster, the sooner we can shift funding, make quicker decisions and focus on this problem,” says Bredell.