Cape Town - High level discussions between national and provincial disaster management teams will take place on Wednesday to finalise the classification of parts of the Western Cape as disaster areas due to the worsening drought plaguing the country.
The teleconference will also deal with an application for millions in funding for support to the provincial agricultural sector which is experiencing dire water shortages.
Towards the end of last year, the provincial legislature, formally requested that the national government declare the province a disaster area, but the process has not yet been finalised.
The country is facing its worst drought in more than 20 years, which is threatening to cripple the agricultural sector and could lead to food price increases.
MEC of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell said below average rainfall, looming water shortages, low dam levels coupled with a very dry summer had exacerbated the situation in the Swartland, West Coast and Karoo.
“Conditions in the province are worsening with some areas battling restricted or minimal water supply.”
“The province’s agricultural sector has been the hardest hit by the water shortages as farmers battle to harvest crops or feed livestock,” he added.
Bredell warned that if winter rainfalls this year are again below average, the province will be heading for a serious water crisis.
“Disaster management has been closely monitoring the situation across the province from the Swartland, Matzikama, Cederberg, Cape Winelands regions all the way up to the Karoo,” he said.
Bredell said among those battling the severe drought were dairy, wheat and wine farmers.
Bredell’s spokesman James-Brent Styan, explained that the process to classify the province as a disaster was lengthy because the government had to do its own assessments of the drought situation.
Styan said Wednesday’s talks would hopefully see the finalisation of the application.
AgriSA has meanwhile established a drought research task team to assess the impact of the prevailing drought on farmers, their workers, and the economy and food stability.
Painting a grim picture, AgriSA’s executive director, Omri van Zyl, said
: “The bottom line is that we are facing a national crisis. Most affected parts of the country have been declared disaster areas.
“Our water levels are extremely low, rivers are drying up and we are facing a worrisome situation in terms of production and the credit situation for farmers.”
The organisation has also established a drought relief fund for donations to assist farmers who are going through serious challenges in terms of feeding their animals and providing for their farm workers.
Van Zyl said the West Coast region, was experiencing severe drought and farmers were battling.
“We are in the process of doing a research survey to determine through our structures what exactly the extent of the damage is, its implications and the requirements needed to deal with it.
“You can’t manage the rain but you can manage the consequences of it,” he said.
He added that the current crisis affected everyone.
“The moment we start talking about food security, availability and food inflation it impacts all of us.
“It is a serious situation.”
“We’ve never really had food security problems in the country, but at this point in time we could end up having one if we do not assist struggling farmers through this difficult time,” he warned.
Cape Argus
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