Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
- What steps has the Department implemented to safeguard water security given the lower-than-average rainfall projections for this winter season and
- how are municipalities being supported with the implementation of these management strategies during this period?
(a) The Department of Local Government is in the process of developing a Water Resilience Strategy for all Western Cape Municipalities. The Water Resilience Strategy provides a comprehensive framework to address the region’s water challenges, driven by urbanization and population growth, economic expansion, climate change, and deteriorating infrastructure. It aims to secure sustainable water availability while enhancing resilience against future uncertainties, which include the current lower-than-average rainfall.
The Head of the Department of Local Government has met with the Department of Environmental Affairs and development Planning, Department of Agriculture, Provincial Treasury, Disaster Management and the City of Cape Town to develop a Readiness Plan relating to the anticipated below average rainfall and decreasing dam levels.
(b) The Department of Local Government has already engaged with local municipalities on the Water Resilience Strategy and started to identify projects to support the local municipalities to address water security. The Department has allocated Forty million, two hundred and thirty-six thousand (R40 236 000) over the 2024/2025 Provincial/Municipal Financial Year and thirty-two million, one hundred and sixteen thousand (R32 116 000) over the 2025/2026 Provincial/Municipal Financial Year through the Water Resilience Grant to assist municipalities to become water resilient.
