KZN seeks expertise from India to fortify its infrastructure

KWAZULU-Natal (KZN) is taking proactive steps to safeguard its public infrastructure against the escalating threat of climate change, with the MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, announcing a strategic partnership with India to enhance building resilience and flood defences.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

This initiative comes in response to the devastating flood damage exacerbated by global warming, which has left numerous government buildings, particularly schools and clinics, in a state of disrepair.

Meyer, who assumed his role after last year's elections while speaking at Independent Media offices in Rosebank recently, highlighted the urgency of the situation.

"We have now done a lot of work speaking to other agencies from other countries to say how do we build to withstand this type of climate change because climate change is here to stay no matter what we do," he said.

The province has been severely impacted, with the 2022 floods causing such extensive damage that the current budget is still struggling to address.

According to Meyer, a key aspect of this new approach involves a shift from simply rebuilding to constructing with resilience in mind.

"So we have also tried to, when we rebuild or repair those schools, to build in such a way that it can withstand the damage it may cause," Meyer explained.