Municipality is ready for potential seasonal challenges
Winter brings with it a unique set of challenges when it comes to service delivery. Knysna’s Acting Municipal Manager Dr Louis Scheepers has announced that they are well prepared to deal with foreseeable eventualities, guided by the Winter Season Readiness Plan (WSRP).
“We implemented the WSRP in June and will follow its specific strategies until the end of August – our traditional winter months,” said Dr Scheepers. “Not only does it stipulate responsibilities for the various municipal sections in terms of service delivery, it provides clear procedures on managing the potential disasters that inclement winter weather may bring about.”
Knysna historically experiences cut-off low pressure weather systems during the winter months. These systems typically result in heavy rainfall and flash floods. The other extreme is realised when house fires occur in connection with the common use of gas heaters, open flames or other sources for generating heat.
“Our Fire and Rescue Services are prepared to carry out its firefighting, rescue and fire prevention functions on a continuous basis,” he continued. “Amongst other provisions detailed in the WSRP, leave will be minimised during this season with no training interventions in order to maximise staff availability. Should a disaster occur, the need to communicate is immediate. The Winter Season Communication Plan will ensure that accurate, reliable and appropriate information is issued to relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.”
The WSRP guides actions for all sections during the winter season. The Waste Management Department is ready to increase its existing cleaning capacity as required. Refuse collection will continue as usual, with any interruptions or changes to the schedule communicated timeously. Seasonal readiness already forms part of the regular maintenance programs of the Streets and Storm Water, Water and Wastewater and Electro-Mechanical Sections. The electrical network infrastructure is capable of meeting the expected increase in energy consumption during the colder months.
“The Covid-19 pandemic adds pressure to preparations for this season,” Dr Scheepers said. “Very little is known about the virus and its associated disease but, as it is spread in a similar manner to the seasonal ‘flu and cold, it is not unreasonable to assume that winter may accelerate its spread. We know that Knysna has already been declared a hotspot and that our infection rate is skyrocketing. We have a continued responsibility to the safety of our residents and have factored this consideration into our WSRP.”
With most events and festivals cancelled during the winter season due to the pandemic, Traffic Officers will not have to manage the seasonal influx of vehicles, but will concentrate their efforts on keeping Knysna’s roads safe for all road users. Aside from performing their usual duties, Law Enforcement Officers will be monitoring Covid-19 related offences such as not complying with social distancing. They will also assist at cemeteries during burial services and checking on business and community compliance with alert levels compliance.
The Knysna Covid-19 Multi-Agency Coordination Centre, or Joint Operation Centre (JOC), was established on 20 March and consists of various clusters that include all relevant disaster management stakeholders. Leads meet with their clusters to deal with matters of concern and to discuss operational plans. The cluster lead provides feedback on these meetings at the JOC and raises matters to be escalated to district or provincial government for clarity, feedback or action.
“Our various efforts to provide Covid-19 related support to our residents at grassroots level have been well documented,” Dr Scheepers continued. “These included the establishment of a temporary homeless shelter at Loerie Park where our partners are now able to provide additional services such as health care, issues surrounding substance abuse and pastoral counselling. It has also allowed us to create a relevant database that, amongst other things, reflect individuals’ eligibility for our low cost housing projects and identifies those who need identification documents.”
The Humanitarian and Social Relief program run by Knysna Municipality and its partners has, to date, provided food relief in the form of parcels or vouchers to over 6 000 households. 64 soup kitchens provide nearly 6 000 daily meals to members of vulnerable communities and pamphlets containing information on agencies that deliver psycho-social services have been compiled and distributed.
“Our WSRP ensures our ability to promote a safe and healthy winter season for our residents, while delivering services of a high standard,” Dr Scheepers concluded. “It is important to note that the health of our staff is vital to serving our customers and, where necessary, we must balance the wellbeing of our staff with delivering basic services. You can assist us in ensuring their health – as well as your own, your family’s and your neighbours’ by washing your hands regularly, wearing your mask if you must go outside, and staying home as much as possible.”