There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the hundreds of people who were left homeless after heavy rain and winds ravaged through the town of Kariega in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality last month.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said in a statement on Tuesday, it has received the greenlight from Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development (DEDEAT), Environmental Affairs and Tourism to relocate the residents of Ou Lapland informal Settlement to the Van Rooyen Avenue site.
Speaking on behalf of the municipality Sithembiso Soyaya said the approval follows an assessment of the land by the metro.
"DEDEAT together with the Department of Water and Sanitation recommended the removal of the families considering that the informal settlement is situated on a flood plain and downstream of the Tiryville dam and may be adversely affected by high flow conditions or floods in the event of high rainfall in the catchment of the river or stream," says Soyaya.
Furthermore, the Municipality was mandated by the department to appoint a competent Environmental Control Officer to oversee the implementation of the proposed development, and Demolish and remove the informal structure at the Lapland site.
The metro was also instructed to install and place temporary water and sanitation facilities as well as place waste-management facilities within a fenced-off area with skips as an interim measure until the site is serviced by the waste management removal unit of the metro.
