23 Feb 2016

The country is experiencing devastating weather conditions and it seems the drought that started last season will continue unabated.

This was said by Mahalapye Sub District council chairperson, Mr Tassman Cebani when opening the sub district council meeting in Mahalapye on Monday.

Mr Cebani said the current rainfall season was overshadowed by the searing heat and erratic rainfall patterns that were punctuated by long dry spells.

He said the sub district painted this gloomy picture when they hosted a task team of officials from various ministries dispatched by the government to assess the country’s drought situation.

He said they submitted that they received below normal rainfall, that grazing situation was poor and that there was low a recharge of aquifers. He said crop failure was predicted and that the outlook was that this year would be a drought year.

Mr Cebani said reports also indicate that  neighbouring countries were also battling with the  drought situation.

He added that they have suggested to the government to consider some interventions, including stock feed subsidies not only limited to cattle. He said the interventions should also be accompanied by mobile stop services, the supply of free feeds to poverty eradication beneficiaries and the distribution of free seeds and fertilizers for the next ploughing season.

He said they have also pleaded with the government to speed up the connection of the Tswapong area to the North South Carrier Scheme.

He noted that they were convinced that the interventions would help build resilience until the drought period runs its course.

Furthermore, he said the sub district has suggested that the government should consider suspending water dependent poverty eradication projects pending the improvement of the water and grazing situations, adding that the programmes would be restored when the drought situation has improved.

On the issue of disasters, Mr Cebani said in December 2015 the sub district was hit by strong winds and flash rains that affected residents of Pallaroad, Tobela, Shoshong, Maape, Poloka and Setsile.

He said 112 families suffered the ordeal of losing shelter as their houses collapsed while some incurred extensive damages. However, he said no lives were lost to the disasters.

He applauded the sub district management team who responded swiftly to provide the necessary assistance.

He noted that the government also responded to the plight of the people, and that 26 families would be built houses while 22 families would have their houses maintained and restored.

Mr Cebani said it was a welcome development that would bring relief and restore the dignity of the affected people, adding that the sub district would commit its resources to ensuring that the houses were delivered in the shortest possible time.

On the issue of water supply, the sub council chairperson said he was aware that water supply has not been satisfactory, particularly in Tumasera/Seleka, Ramokgonami, Sefhare, Pilikwe Moshopha, Maape and Machaneng as well as the villages supplied from the North South Carrier pipeline such as Shoshong, Kalamare, Mahalapye and Bonwapitse.

He said it was a known fact that the NSC has been having combined challenges of leakages and some failure which the corporation has been doing its utmost to apprise the public.

Mr Cebani said the groundwater supply from which rural water consumption was derived has been progressively drying up to alarming levels due to recent droughts.

He said reports showed that the Ramokgonami and Sefhare cluster water supply challenges became more pronounced after experiencing power shortages, adding that the exploration, rehabilitation, purchasing of standby generators to assist during power outages and replacement of boreholes at Moshopha, Sefhare and Ramokgonami would be considered under the ongoing corporation budget exercise. Ends