The area in and around the Eastern Cape’s Amathole district municipality has been declared a disaster area due to the drought, the municipality said on Tuesday.
“Xilinxa, Dutywa, Bedford and Adelaide dams remain critical. Dwesa and Qwaninga rivers are equally running dry. The situation is tantamount to a few days of water in those areas,” said mayor Nomfusi Nxawe.
“The situation is so dire that we are earnestly on our knees praying for rainfall, long term weather forecast shows no sign of rain in the near future.”
The district municipality includes local municipalities such as Mbhashe, Mnquma, Great Kei, Amahlathi, Ngqushwa and Raymond Mhlaba.
Amathole has distributed at least 120 communal water tanks to residents, added Nxawe.
“So far we managed to distribute over 120 communal tanks in Butterworth, Bika and Centane. A total of 16 tankers are carting water to the affected areas delivering 2 to 3 loads a day each. We are in consultation with the national government and hoping for a speedy and sustainable solution.”
She urged residents to use water sparingly as the drought was showing no signs of letting up.
– African News Agency (ANA)
