Large volumes of water are expected to reach the Richtersveld area later this week, the Richtersveld disaster management committee said on Tuesday.
“Disaster management teams in the Northern Cape expect a large volume of water to reach the Richtersveld area later in the week, and have asked communities to be alert,” said committee chairman Kenny Landers in a statement.
“Water flowing downstream after heavy rains in the interior reach the Atlantic Ocean along the Orange River. The mouth is at Alexander Bay, in the Richtersveld.”
The Richtersveld area includes the towns of Lekkersing, Khuboes, Eksteenfontein and Sanddrif.
Landers said water levels under the Oranjemund bridge over the Orange River remained at about four metres.
Water levels in low-lying areas of the region had also begun receding. However these areas were still being closely watched as water from other areas was expected to flow in later this week.
The Richtersveld communal property association urged residents to exercise caution when approaching the river.
It also called on residents not to drink water directly from the river.
In KwaZulu-Natal, hard-hit by flooding and lighting storms, the Democratic Alliance appealed to the provincial government to make use of the R106-million allocated for relief by the national government.
“Aside from the fact that provincial government must address the adversity that numerous communities currently face, the funds need to be spent so that they are not swallowed up by national treasury as a result of under-expenditure,” said DA co-operative governance spokesman Nomusa Dube.
Last month, the Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale announced that the province would lose a R200m housing grant because of its failure to spend the money on housing projects.
Dube said this could not be allowed to happen again when there were communities with little or no access to resources because of the recent floods.
The DA also wanted the province to put in place more concrete disaster management plans.
“KwaZulu-Natal has been hit hard by natural disasters during the past few years and, according to weather experts, this trend is likely to continue,” said Dube.
“We need to see a more concrete plan from province, including an advance proposal for disaster relief funding from national, so that money can be accessed immediately from our own coffers in the event of a large-scale disaster.”
The director general of the national department of social development, Vusi Madonsela, will meet representatives from all nine provinces on Tuesday to discuss the department's plans to help families affected by the floods.
Madonsela would brief the media on Tuesday afternoon on the outcome of the meeting. - Sapa