Pietermaritzburg, 30 May 2022 (TDI): The eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal has been hit by heavy torrents of rain. It greatly affected Durban, a port city with a population of 3.9 million people. It wreaked havoc on people’s houses, schools, highways, and other vital infrastructure.
The heavy rains in eastern South Africa have wreaked even more damage on families. This comes just a month after the worst floods in living memory claimed the lives of over 400 people. It also displaced roughly 7,000 individuals.
The rains began last weekend and have claimed the lives of at least two people. As a result, 250 individuals have been removed from shelters for displaced people. They have been under shelter since the April floods.
Save the Children is also working with partners in KwaZulu-Natal. They provide food coupons, clothing, water, and psychosocial help to families. The group also provides tablets and internet access to the children.
This help aims to guarantee that the affected children can continue to learn while they are not in school. The province of KwaZulu-Natal is South Africa’s second most populous.
So far, the province has witnessed four significant floods in recent years. Three of these occurred in mid-April. Floods are becoming more frequent and more severe. Experts anticipate that the climate catastrophe will exacerbate the region’s vulnerability.
Save the children’s call for emergency response
Save the Children is deeply concerned about the deaths. It is also concerned about infrastructure loss. Due to the simultaneous flood crisis, infrastructure is crucial to children’s growth and well-being.
The group is encouraging the provincial government to do more to improve emergency response times. National and corporate governments must join this quest. They must invest in more weather-resistant infrastructure.
Floods have left their mark across KwaZulu-Natal, as evidenced by firsthand accounts. Steve Miller, CEO of Save the Children South Africa, expressed his concerns. The CEO stated that the poorest and most disadvantaged are experiencing the consequences.
Floods have also jeopardized children’s protection, rights to survive, and learning. Save the Children urges South Africa to complete the Climate Change Bill as soon as possible.
It urges its connected plans to protect children’s futures in South Africa. According to Save the Children South Africa’s CEO, children and their families have been forced to flee their homes.
They are being exposed to trauma as a result of the recurring crises, and they are being expelled from school. It’s robbing them of the usual habits and systems that allow them to thrive. Their ability to compete has been significantly hampered.
The crisis has wrecked their adequate level of living. Their general development has been significantly hampered as well. These floods are wreaking havoc on ecosystems that support life. Food production and secure access to fresh water are considered to be compromised in the future.
South Africa, as well as the rest of the world, must do more to avert such calamities. Climate change is happening at an alarming rate, according to the CEO of Save the Children South Africa. People’s failure to turn the tide on climate change has obvious effects
