As climate change and global warming result in an increase in natural disasters, more needs to be done to limit the loss of lives and damage caused, the Department of Provincial and Local Government said on Wednesday.
Director General Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela told a disaster-management indaba in Midrand that the country is faced not only with natural disasters, but also man-made ones that need a collective effort to be prevented.
Citing the recent and continuing flooding in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, Msengana-Ndlela said: ”We need to examine the extent to which we can improve disaster management.”
One of the areas of concern is the country’s ability to respond to disasters, and the time taken to help affected communities recover.
She said the veld fires that blazed through a number of provinces in 2007 could have caused damages of ”catastrophic proportions well beyond R1-billion”.
The responsibility for disaster management does not lie solely in the hands of the government, national disaster management centres and aid organisations; communities also need to play a role.
”In my view we must dispel the myth that disaster management is solely the responsibility of technocrats.”
Community-based volunteers can create a culture of pre-emptive behaviour such as identifying hot spots, she said.
In his presentation of the annual report for 2006/07, executive manager of the National Disaster Management Centre Lance Williams said communities are frustrated with the time taken for the centres and relevant structures to respond to disasters.
”The response and turnaround times are critically important,” he said.
According to the annual report, only two provinces — the Free State and Gauteng — have finalised disaster-management plans.
KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Western Cape are finalising their plans. Draft plans have been finalised in the Eastern Cape.
The reports show that all the provinces, with the exception of the Northern Cape, have established or are in the process of establishing disaster-management centres.
Williams said while progress has been made since the period covered by the report, hot-spot disaster areas have not been identified.
”The reality is we don’t know which communities would be affected. The provinces lagging [in determining their hot spots] have been identified,” he said.
Member of Parliament’s portfolio committee on provincial and local government Bangilizwe Solo said the recent attacks on foreigners show the need for effective disaster-management plans.
”The xenophobic attacks on foreigners are a sign of the importance of disaster management,” he said.
The impact of disasters on the poor is devastating as it takes longer for them to recover. Rehabilitation of the areas they live in is costly.
The University of Cape Town’s Ailsa Holloway said the Western Cape has ”bore the brunt” of increasing weather events.
Vulnerable areas and increased capacity to manage climate risks are needed. ”The provincial and municipal losses show an unsustainable trajectory, over R300-million last year.”
She said repeat infrastructure failures such as roads and bridges cause ”huge knocks” to the economy.
The impact of the disasters is further exacerbated by poor planning, such as building houses below road level and in areas historically hit by bad weather.
”Is it really about disaster management or is it about risk-averse development?” she asked.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more floods and droughts in Southern Africa are due to climate change.
”The frequency and impact of extreme weather events is a reality,” OCHA’s Kelly David said.
Last year 14 tropical storms in the South Indian Ocean basin were recorded, in contrast to an annual trend of 9,8.
The 2008 floods in the lower Zambezi River were more severe than those in 2001 and 2007.
Previously the region had a major drought every 10 years. However, three major droughts have occurred in the last three years.
She said coordination, information management, contingency planning and preparedness are essential in minimising loss of life.
”Good coordination is the most important factor.”
Using the example of Mozambique’s preparedness, she said in 2001, 7 000 people died in floods. In 2007 just over 50 deaths were recorded, while in 2008 there had been less than a dozen. — Sapa