On Wednesday morning mayor Retief Odendaal said the situation was under control but teams would remain on alert.
“The 12 fires raging in Nelson Mandela Bay over the past 72 hours have been brought under control. The most serious fires were those closest to Seaview and Beachview. As a precautionary measure, the frail and infirm have been evacuated from the New Rest informal settlement close to Seaview last night.
“The situation can, however, quickly change as wind conditions change. We are expecting strong winds later in the day that may cause fires to flare up.”
He said fire trucks have been deployed to high-risk areas.
On Tuesday, safety and security mayoral committee member Lawrence Troon said firefighters were coping despite the challenges with limited human resources.
“Our vegetation has dried out because of the drought, and we had wind on Monday and Tuesday and that is basically what is causing the fires.
“No fatalities have been reported so far. However, we called for an ambulance to assist those that have been affected by smoke inhalation,” Troon said.
Gift of the Givers said it was assisting firefighters in the metro with hot meals, water, energy bars, eye drops, energy drinks, chocolates and biscuits.
The fires come as the metro is struggling to stave off dry taps, which has seen water restrictions imposed and fast-tracking of repairs to infrastructure.
The non-profit organisation said it has drilled 41 boreholes in the NMB metro and opened four existing ones to assist the city with the challenge of water shedding, “which seems to be getting worse”.
“We will have to review the situation to assess what else can be done.”
On Tuesday Odendaal visited the Impofu Dam to evaluate water levels as it is the largest dam from which the city draws water for its western water system. Impofu Dam is at 8% of total capacity, and the city draws 30 megalitres of water per day from it.
He said the combined dam levels have remained below 20% for three years as the city continues to experience one of its longest droughts in history.
The combined dam levels are sitting at 17.11% with usable water from that a mere 11.61%.
Water demand remains higher than the 230 megalitres per day expected under the restrictions, the city said.
Consumption has been fluctuating between 240 and 290 megalitres, which is way above the consumption target.
Odendaal said residents, businesses and holidaymakers are advised to use less than 50l per person per day, take two-minute showers and reuse washing water for non-drinking functions such as flushing toilets.
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Fires across drought-stricken Mandela Bay metro are under control: Mayor
Image: Mayor Retief Odendaal via Facebook
Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) firefighters are winning the battle against veld fires in an estimated 12 areas, including Seaview/Beachview where two homes caught alight and some residents were evacuated as a precaution.
The municipality said its teams were called to a vegetation fire in Beachview on Tuesday “where two houses also started to burn”.
This came as the city spent the day also battling a fire in the Bay West area which started on Monday.
On Wednesday morning mayor Retief Odendaal said the situation was under control but teams would remain on alert.
“The 12 fires raging in Nelson Mandela Bay over the past 72 hours have been brought under control. The most serious fires were those closest to Seaview and Beachview. As a precautionary measure, the frail and infirm have been evacuated from the New Rest informal settlement close to Seaview last night.
“The situation can, however, quickly change as wind conditions change. We are expecting strong winds later in the day that may cause fires to flare up.”
He said fire trucks have been deployed to high-risk areas.
On Tuesday, safety and security mayoral committee member Lawrence Troon said firefighters were coping despite the challenges with limited human resources.
“Our vegetation has dried out because of the drought, and we had wind on Monday and Tuesday and that is basically what is causing the fires.
“No fatalities have been reported so far. However, we called for an ambulance to assist those that have been affected by smoke inhalation,” Troon said.
Gift of the Givers said it was assisting firefighters in the metro with hot meals, water, energy bars, eye drops, energy drinks, chocolates and biscuits.
The fires come as the metro is struggling to stave off dry taps, which has seen water restrictions imposed and fast-tracking of repairs to infrastructure.
The non-profit organisation said it has drilled 41 boreholes in the NMB metro and opened four existing ones to assist the city with the challenge of water shedding, “which seems to be getting worse”.
“We will have to review the situation to assess what else can be done.”
On Tuesday Odendaal visited the Impofu Dam to evaluate water levels as it is the largest dam from which the city draws water for its western water system. Impofu Dam is at 8% of total capacity, and the city draws 30 megalitres of water per day from it.
He said the combined dam levels have remained below 20% for three years as the city continues to experience one of its longest droughts in history.
The combined dam levels are sitting at 17.11% with usable water from that a mere 11.61%.
Water demand remains higher than the 230 megalitres per day expected under the restrictions, the city said.
Consumption has been fluctuating between 240 and 290 megalitres, which is way above the consumption target.
Odendaal said residents, businesses and holidaymakers are advised to use less than 50l per person per day, take two-minute showers and reuse washing water for non-drinking functions such as flushing toilets.
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