03 Nov 2022

Wildfire outbreaks are becoming more frequent, as temperatures continue to rise, creating havoc in their path across huge tracts of land and communities. 

Sadly, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with these wildfires, as there just are not enough resources, says Ms Baitshepi Hill, director of the Department of Forestry and Range Resources. 

So serious is the problem that virtually all districts have been affected since the start of the fire season this year. 

Ms Hill, who was responding to our questions, said most of the fires started due to a combination of high fuel load (thick bushes and grass), rising temperatures and strong winds. 

While many wildfires had been extinguished, there remained some, which continued to ravage huge tracts of land, causing unprecedented damage to the environment and much anxiety, she said. 

Said Ms Hill: “Other than causing damage to the environment, which is home to wildlife, the fires equally affect livelihoods, rangelands, biodiversity, livestock, tourism and businesses,” And it was particularly difficult to allocate resources when there were multiple fire outbreaks in the same district, she said. 

When that happened the department assessed the potential danger of each fire and deployed resources to the one that was likely to pose more harm, which was less than ideal, but practicable given shortage of resources. 

Her department, she said, had learnt lessons from previous fire outbreak disasters, such as those that happened in 2008. 

During that year alone, 13 people died from wildfires. 

Then in 2021, wildfires ravaged parts of Kgalagadi, damaging government property, which included Lobu Farm and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park among others. Eager to avert similar catastrophes, the department had now put in place a fire preparedness plan whereby firefighting teams were deployed to fire-prone areas. 

“We have trained volunteer firefighters in the communities to act as first responders to wildland fire incidents,” she said. Additionally, the department continually maintained firebreaks in some parts of the country to reduce the spread of fire in the event of an outbreak. 

She regretted however, that maintenance of firebreaks during the current financial year had been delayed owing to unforeseen circumstances. ends