04 Mar 2021

Various measures have been taken to assist residents of Nata/Gweta constituency who have been affected by floods.

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said those included construction of culverts along the A3 Nata-Maun road as it had been realised they blocked the water path.

He further said residents of Gweta, Dzoroga and Tsokatshaa through dikgosi and Village Development Committees (VDC) had been trained on disaster preparedness.

From the training, he said they produced a disaster management plan which they use whenever emergencies arose.

The minister told Parliament on Wednesday that a decision had been made to construct two culverts in Gweta along the A3 Road, one near the primary school and the other near the hospital to allow water to flow towards Makgadikgadi Pans.

In Dzoroga, he explained that it was discovered that the village was flat and further research had been undertaken, and at the end a storm water drainage system would be built.

The District Disaster Committee has tents and canoes ready to be deployed.

Minister Morwaeng said 33 families in Gweta had been affected by floods, two were provided with food while four were given tents.

He said in Sepako, residents were provided with free transport to access schools and health facilities.

Further, he noted that Tsokatshaa residents were also provided with transport to go to the nearest villages for shopping as the settlement was completely surrounded by water.

Minister Morwaeng said the National Disaster Relief Fund did not provide funding, but people were assisted through different programmes such as through the Social and Community Development office.

The minister was responding to a question in Parliament from the Nata-Gweta legislator, Mr Polson Majaga who wanted an update on progress made after his constituency was declared a disaster prone area.

He wanted the minister to state what the Disaster Management Committee had planned and what it was doing to respond to the disaster that had hit Gweta, Dzoroga and Tsokatshaa.

MP Majaga also wanted to know if there was any budget for his constituency under the Disaster Management Fund to cater for storm water drainage, food, health and other necessities. ENDS