Environmental Issues
WATER
We live in a water scarce region, although our rainfall is in places the highest in SA, our bulk reservoirs are not adequate. This combined with a population growth in Mbombela that is higher than that of Johannesburg, we sit with a problem.
The farmers in the Malalane area are under water restrictions for longer and longer periods of time and during winter time which affects production and of course employment.
KLCBT predicted this looming crises some 12 years ago and actively started lobbying for a new large dam in the area.
We are represented in:
- Crocodile River Basin Catchment Forum
- All EIA public consultation regarding the building and improvement of dams
Current Projects:
- Continued lobbying to speed up the process of the new dam, which is now in design phase and could take more than 2 years before actual work starts
- Monitoring plans, budgets and progress regarding the raising of certain existing dam walls to increase capacity
- Campaigning to the businesses to save water – “Droppie” campaign being rolled out
- Monitoring, plans, budgets and progress to stop water losses due to leakages and faulty meters
- Lobbying to have penalties attached to water restrictions – we will assist with roll-out and monitoring
- Encouraging certain new systems to run on grey water, i.e. toilets and municipal gardens in newer neighbourhoods – this is only at the beginning phase
Previous Successes:
- The building of the dam is one of our most notable successes in this advocacy. It will make a huge difference to the bulk water capacity of the area and the economy around a dam of that size will have a positive impact in itself.
- Mbombela is currently busy to repair faulty meters
- Raising of existing dam walls to commence in the 2019/20 financial year.
MINING APPLICATIONS
Our region is reliant on tourism for jobs and economic development. Yet we need to fight of mining applications in environmentally sensitive or near tourism attractions, all the the time.
This require a lot of expertise which we have to pay for. This is one of the advocacies which cost a lot of resources to maintain (human and financial).
CONSERVATION
We strongly support responsible tourism and maintain the purest form of eco-tourism.