KZN Premier to discuss April floods at New York climate change conference

Jetting off to New York for the Climate Week 2022 conference, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube will be discussing with global leaders the April and May flood disaster.

Following the catastrophic floods that hit the province and the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change, Dube-Ncube will join talks where issues of environmental degradation will be under sharp focus.

Dube-Ncube, who also co-chairs the Africa Region Under2Coalition, will participate in a panel discussion and unpack the vision for the region to drive climate action.

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She will be joined by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma.

New York Climate Week brings together the most influential leaders in climate action from government, business and the climate community, in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly.

On the agenda is a chance for heads of state, government officials, CEOs and civil society leaders to share their global outlook on climate change and climate action.

448 fatalities were confirmed to be the official figure from the April floods.

A total of 88 people were still reported missing, with 6 895 homeless and 50 injured. A total of 27 069 households were affected, with 8 584 houses completely destroyed and 13 536 damaged.

Wet weather conditions have been forecast for spring and summer, a dreaded thought for those living in flood-prone areas.

In recent months, the South African Weather Service has forecast above-normal rainfall for the northeastern parts of the country, including provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, Free State and KZN.

The forecast comes as the La Niña weather system, which is associated with a lot of rain, remains in place.

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