Free State DRD issues veld fire warning
The Free State's Department of Rural Development (DRD) has issued a warning to farmers and landowners, asking them to remain vigilant during the veld fire season. The first fire in the Free State has already occurred in Vrede in the Thabo Mofutsanyane District, destroying 2 000 hectares, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) reports.
Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Mosebenzi Zwane says farmers and landowners must observe proper fire breaks; burn dying vegetation according to the prescribed methods and ensure fire fighting equipment is in good working order. In addition, open air burning should be prohibited during periods of high fire hazard, and communities should establish fire control committees at a neighbourhood level.
According to the GCIS, Zwane says that South Africa's agriculture is vulnerable to climate change as productive farming is affected directly by the quality of the rainy season, temperature, climate variability and extreme weather events. The MEC added that an alarm system, fire fighting teams and beaters must be organised in advance, in order to control fires.
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