The executive council has declared a provincial drought disaster. It was announced in a statement by the Mpumalanga provincial government’s executive council (EXCO) on Thursday morning.

Sibongile Mkani-Mpolweni, spokesman for the Office of the Premier, said extraordinary measures are needed to address the disaster.

“Mpumalanga is faced with a drought and therefore water must be used sparingly. Provincial
government must ensure that extraordinary measures are taken to ensure that water is provided as a constitutional imperative.

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“This includes directing resources to mitigate the impact of the disaster guided by legislation,” she explained.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs submitted the request to the executive council for consideration.

“EXCO now needs to make a declaration with a directive of which institution must do what, including municipalities,” she said. Sputnik Ratau, spokesman for water and sanitation, said as of Tuesday, there has not been much improvement in Mpumalanga’s dam levels despite good recent rainfall.

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The Inkomati-Usuthu catchment recorded no average change over the past week and remains at an average of 61,0 per cent.

In the Ehlanzeni District recorded some slight improvements in water levels with Driekoppies increasing
to 64.4 per cent, Klipkopjes moving from 20,5 to 21,5 per cent and Primkop going up from 14,4 per
cent to 15,7 per cent this wek. Da Gama Dam remained unchanged on 50,7 per cent.

However, Kwena declined from 29,2 per cent to 28,5 and Inyaka is down to 47,5 per cent.