Department of Environment to Spend R100m for State of the Art SA Weather Service Radar Technology Upgrade
- The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries which will allocate R100 million to the SA Weather Service
- The Minister of the department Barbara Creecy said state-of-the-art radar technology will be purchased with the money
- She said the systems need to be built to prepare vulnerable individuals in the country in the event of another disaster
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PRETORIA - The effects of climate change will be prioritised by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries which will allocate R100 million over three years to the South African Weather Service. The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy said the money will be used to upgrade the service’s infrastructure with state-of-the-art radar technology.
The proposal was tabled at the department’s budget vote for the 2022/23 financial year in Parliament on Wednesday 18 May. She said the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal highlighted the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities.
Source: Getty Images
During her address, she said it is untrue that the weather service is unable to predict accurate information. She said the upgrade of the radar technology would provide more accurate information surrounding geographic locations of serve weather, News24 reported.
The department also plans to move some of the equipment from roadsides to police stations and school premises. Creecy said the systems need to be built to prepare vulnerable individuals in the country in the event of another disaster.
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She said the climate crisis needs to be dealt with urgently. Creecy said her department has been supporting 44 municipalities to help South Africans adopt strategies for climate change. Engineering News reported that the department has developed a framework for emissions reduction targets and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Proposal gains mixed reactions
South Africans are divided over the initiative with some saying the money will not be used wisely:
@Frank55387936 said:
“Pity it will end up in the pockets of the buddies who dish it out.”
@BailzCj posted:
“Thank god. Their models are mediocre at best and their station measurements are incredibly unreliable.”
@lerouxmeissner wrote:
“Radars? With that money, they can put up 4 flags to check if the wind is blowing.”
@colza91 commented:
“Weather monitoring goes beyond that leader. It includes preparedness for disasters. Ensuring adequate food production, ensuring planning for how we can survive and also connecting with all other SA development goals.”
Government was not really prepared to deal with KZN floods, President Cyril Ramaphosa admits services failed
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted that the government was not fully prepared to deal with the recent floods that left thousands displaced and killed hundreds in KwaZulu-Natal.
The president was addressing the Durban Chamber of Commerce on Sunday, 15 May and said Government will have to prioritise the effects of climate change. The event was also attended by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala, several ministers and business leaders. Ramaphosa said the disaster brought about many lessons that need to be learnt.
Addressing the event, the president said Government structures need to work together to plan how to deal with climate change. News24 reported that Ramaphosa said human settlements will need to be climate-proof. He said a complete overhaul is needed to deal with challenges in the eastern seaboard and the western parts of the country, which have experienced droughts. Ramaphosa said that the readiness to deal with disasters must to be improved drastically.
Source: Briefly News
