Protect communities affected by KZN floods: Mbalula

• Published date: 05 May 2022
• Publication title: South African Official News

Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, has emphasised the importance of protecting communities that were affected by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal from further devastation, through properly planned settlements, and affordable and safe housing.

'We must continue to build our resilience to the impacts of climate change, through early warning systems, stronger infrastructure, and disaster risk management systems,' the Minister said on Thursday in Midrand.

Addressing the Presidential Climate Commission's Just Transition Framework multistakeholder conference, he said it was imperative to build back from the catastrophic events in a climate resilient way.

'Our social and economic infrastructure must be made climate resilient in a systematic and forward-looking manner. We live in one of the most affected regions in the world, and frequently experience droughts, storms and floods associated with global warming.

'The recent devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal put these climate impacts in sharp focus, causing catastrophic loss of life and widespread destruction. Hundreds of people lost their lives. Homes, roads, and bridges were washed away. Public buildings, shops and farms were flooded,' Mbalula said.

He said disasters like those in KwaZulu-Natal are a reminder that it is poorer communities - women and young people, the unemployed, those living in informal settlements, that are most vulnerable to climate change.

'The science is clear that climate change is happening at an accelerated pace, with profound implications on all aspects of our lives - on rainfall patterns, water resources, crop viability, food security and human health, amongst others.

'The science is also clear that we must keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if we want to avoid the worst of climate impacts. To do so, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically over the next three decades to reach net-zero emissions by the middle of the century,' the Minister said.

He said developed countries, who have contributed the lion's share to historical emissions, bear the responsibility of reducing...