GEORGE NEWS - Jo Daneel, the executive director of the Sustainability Forum, has written the following article after wildfires threatened certain parts of George and surrounds last week:
Wildfires experienced last week in the George area (Groenkloof and Hansmoeskraal) are clear evidence that the wildfire season is once again upon us. Last Wednesday the official Fire Danger Index (FDI) for George stood at 93 - near maximum Extreme Fire Danger.
The gale force berg winds made aerial firefighting impossible and, had ground-based suppression equipment not been able to reach the fires and weather conditions not changed so rapidly, the results could have been devastating.
Catastrophic wildfires are increasingly becoming a feature of the Garden Route, and yet the focus remains firmly on firefighting (suppression), rather than prevention.
Meteorologists warn us that we can expect extreme weather events and associated fire behaviour more frequently in future. In addition, wildfire risk is heightened by dense alien vegetation along our city's fringes and within our urban green spaces.
Under South African law, landowners are legally required to manage invasive alien plants on their property to protect biodiversity and reduce fire risk. Under the National Veld and Forest Fire Act 101, the owners of land where a fire may start, burn or spread are required to maintain a firebreak that is free from flammable material.
This is reinforced by the George Municipality's own By-law Relating to Community Fire Safety, but is not always effectively implemented.
The Sustainability Forum, a George-based NPC working with local fire experts, says that the imminent threat of another major wildfire, such as the 2018 event, has been repeatedly reported to the municipality and other governmental land users, such as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), and yet there is little evidence to suggest that clear preventative measures are taking place to reduce wildfire risk to the northern suburbs along the forest's fringe.
Recent flood events badly damaged many of the mountain access roads, most of which remain impassable. With airborne firefighting often impossible under extremely windy and smoky conditions, rapid ground access by firefighting equipment and personnel is critical to contain and combat wildfires before they pose a threat to communities.
Equally concerning is that many vulnerable communities, mainly in informal settlements, are located in very close proximity to high fire risk areas, with little or no way of gaining ground access for rapid evacuation and fire suppression.
The Sustainability Forum (SF) stresses that George Municipality urgently needs to take proactive measures to protect the city, and in particular our most vulnerable communities, from climate change-related natural disasters, such as wildfires and catastrophic floods. We need to learn from the tragic events of the past.
All landowners must take responsibility for protecting themselves and their neighbours from wildfires. The municipality needs to take the lead in this.
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