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The Democratic Alliance in North West will soon conduct an oversight inspection to Ottoshoop in Ngaka Modiri Molema Municipality, following the Committee meeting on Local Government and Human Settlements on 18 September 2018.
During this meeting it was revealed that a low-cost housing project continued in the Ottoshoop area, despite the danger of dolomitic risk. It further came to light that the Department of Local Government has no dolomite risk management program in place.
The imminent dolomitic threat is worsened by the recent drought that caused a drop in the underground water tables, increasing the risk of sinkholes. The dolomitic areas of Ottoshoop, Tsetse, Khuma and Boikhutso could be further triggered by leaking water pipes, substandard infrastructure and poorly managed surface water drainage.
It is a well-known fact that the corrosion of steel and asbestos pipes is the main cause of water leakages. In order to address this challenge, the pipes need to be upgraded from asbestos to Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which would cost the Department around R2 billion.
It was further revealed that the North West Provincial Government has no record-keeping system in place to document the number of sinkholes or dolomite-related disasters.
With approximately 25% of the North West province being underlain by dolomite, it is inexcusable that the department has no strategy to manage the possible risks of sinkhole disasters that could ensue in and around affected areas.
The DA urges the Department of Local Government and Human Settlements, National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and the Council for Geoscience to urgently devise a disaster risk management strategy in order to effectively address dolomitic risks in the province.
The North West deserves a government that prioritises risk management. Under a DA-led government, people’s safety comes first.
Issued by DA
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