uMngeni Local Municipality is set to introduce a Disaster Incident Bulk SMS System in response to a growing number of natural and environmental disasters, including flooding, wildfires and the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. The proposal was tabled at last week’s executive committee meeting, where the Director for Community Services and Public Safety, Asanda Mandlana, outlined the municipality’s increasing exposure to disaster incidents. Mandlana said the municipality had experienced multiple disaster emergencies, including river flooding along the uMngeni River and its tributaries, flash floods following heavy rainfall, and localised flooding in low-lying and informal settlements.
The municipality has also been grappling with FMD outbreaks, which have disrupted farming activity, led to the cancellation of several events across the Midlands, and resulted in the tightening of biosecurity measures in hotspot areas. Officials warned that without an effective early-warning system, communities remain vulnerable to sudden and fast-developing emergencies. “Disaster incident bulk SMS alerts are important because they provide fast, direct and reliable communication that saves lives and reduces damage,” Mandlana said.
These risks justify the implementation of a Disaster Incident Warning and Alert Bulk SMS System to ensure early warning, rapid communication and improved community safety. The proposed system would enable the municipality to issue real-time alerts to residents during emergencies such as flooding, fires, disease outbreaks or major incidents, allowing communities to take precautionary action. uMngeni already has an existing database used for debt collection and credit control services, containing approximately 11 000 residents’ cellphone numbers linked to municipal accounts.
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