Creecy: R100m to be spent on weather service infrastructure
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy says her department will allocate R100 million to upgrade infrastructure used by the South African Weather Service.
This ensures that the country’s forecasting abilities remain state-of-the-art.
Creecy delivered her budget vote for the 2022/23 financial year in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Creecy’s budget comes amid concerns over the country’s ability to predict major weather events, such as the floods which recently hit KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
At least 447 people have died while 89 people are still missing.
Although the weather warnings were issued ahead of the floods, Creecy said it was still a wake-up call for government on the need to invest in the forecasting abilities.
“The extensive damage caused by the masses of water cemented our need to accept the reality of climate change, and the critical importance of warnings of possible extreme weather events, which are expected to become more and more frequent as the climate continues to change.
“Early warnings by the South African Weather Service are important for communities and structures of government because these ensure that there is the liaison with disaster management authorities. This, in turn, ensures that public and disaster response units are mobilised on time, and influences government action all the way down to municipal and individual level.”
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