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Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality says plans to relocate flood disaster victims from a floodplain area in Lapland to a safer area in Ward 48 are progressing well.
NMB said the initial delay was caused by an application for approval by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment on the residential usage of the identified land, which we have since received with conditions.
Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk said even though the department gave the go-ahead two weeks ago, the permission came with a caveat.
“The condition was that the Metro must appoint an Environmental Specialist to monitor and guide work to clear the building site as well as the relocation and erection of temporary housing structures.
“The supply chain process to appoint this specialist started immediately after the go-ahead from the department was received, resulting in the tender process being concluded this week, Tuesday, 20 August 2024.
“The appointment of the specialist will now follow and should not take longer than the anticipated two weeks,” Van Niekerk said.
Affected residents of Lapland were moved to temporary accommodation in Kariega but returned to the area after the floodwater subsided awaiting relocation.
The Metro said Walmer, the flood victims are waiting for the electrification of temporary housing structures before they can be relocated.
Availability of stock for electrification is causing the delays. Intervention measures have been put in place to speed up the process.
