Council approves request for drought disaster declaration

The municipality should know within the next week if its request is granted, but this will not necessarily mean commercial farmers will receive any benefit as a result.

GEORGE NEWS - George is on the brink of being declared a drought disaster area after Council approved an application for local disaster classification in response to the worsening water shortages and severe meteorological and agricultural drought conditions.

No relief for the city and surrounding farming areas is forecast for the coming months.

The Outeniqualand Farmers’ Association’s chairperson, Bossie Terblanche, said commercial farmers will not necessarily benefit from a disaster declaration. “If some assistance is granted, it will be minimal, similar to what we experienced in the 2010 drought. If funds are available from the state, development farmers receive preference. One possible benefit could be provision of drinking water for farm workers. This is something we have been addressing, and we have also asked for water provision for the small farmers’ livestock. Pacaltsdorp’s small farmers are currently paying for municipal water for their livestock. Be that as it may, I think currently, the state funds that can be scraped together are going mostly towards the foot-and-mouth disease disaster.”

A report tabled to the George Council at its first meeting of the year last week sketched a dire situation for George about the drought, while the South African Weather Services is predicting no relief in the coming months.

At the meeting, the Council unanimously approved a recommendation that a request be submitted to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre (GRDMC) for a local drought disaster classification due to the severe water challenges the city and farmers in the area face.

The municipality should know within the next week if its request is granted, but this will not necessarily mean commercial farmers will receive any benefit as a result.

The GRDMC’s head, Gerhard Otto, said he advised the George Municipality not to delay submitting a request as the Western Cape Agricultural Department is currently deciding on the rollout of assistance to farmers in drought-stricken areas. “The department will want to know which local municipalities should be part of its assessments, and experience has taught that it wants the councils’ decisions on this,” said Otto.

Farmers from the Kammanassie in the Langkloof, which falls under George, have already approached the GRDMC for assistance.

A response from the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) on the disaster classification request can be expected soon. “The Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Garden Route are in a similar position as far as drought is concerned, and we suspect that the NDMC will classify it is as national disaster. If this is the case, then I expect a response within the next week,” said Otto.

Knysna and Kannaland have already applied for disaster declaration on 19 and 21 January respectively.

Once the classification is finalised, there will be stronger co-ordination with the Garden Route District Municipality and other government spheres, and accessing funds and other relief options becomes easier. “We are in the ideal position now as the budget cycle for the provincial and national government ends in March, so if there are funds that have not been spent, it can be channelled fast.”

In a media statement earlier this week, George Municipality said the Garden Route Dam’s level had stood at 44.77% on 26 January 2026 compared with 87.87% last year, while Haarlem Dam, supplying Haarlem and Uniondale, was at 24% compared with 85.42% last year. Uniondale’s supply from the Kammanassie River is also severely depleted, and limited groundwater remains available.

The municipality said the drought is depleting dam, river and groundwater levels. In agricultural areas, soil moisture, crops and farming activities are severely impacted.

Level 2D water restrictions and level 3 emergency tariffs are in effect to reduce consumption and support additional operational costs.

“A water management task team monitors dam levels and co-ordinates interventions. Residents are urged to use water sparingly and comply with all restrictions to preserve available resources during this critical period,” said the municipality.