September 2021 Veld Fire In The Free State

According to an article by SABC News:

“More than 25 000 hectares of agriculture has been destroyed due to veld fires”

One of the affected farmers had this to say:

“I have lost about 1ooo hectares of my farm that is 2100 hectares which is about 50% of the grazing that I have lost. It is bad because grazing is more important as cattle farmers we are grazing farmers. But that is part of life. We must be positive in going forward. At least I still have some grazing left.”

The raging veld fires in Ventersburg, Virginia, and some parts of Winburg and Bloemfontein gutted about 40 farms.

The fact is that every farmer is acutely aware of the threat posed to their livelihoods by natural occurring disasters, and sometimes even unnatural occurring disasters. Veld Fires pose an ever present threat, and as it can be seen, once the fires rage out of control, the damage caused is almost incalculable. The human cost in terms of loss of livelihood, generations old businesses being lost, and the trauma individuals go through when such a raging fire occurs, cannot be expressed in merely statistical terms.

South Africa is a dry land, and we are always just one spark away from annihilation by Fire.

It is, therefore, imperative that we maintain our awareness of this pressing issue. Regulatory bodies have set out rules, set in South Africa’s legislation, to govern the safety standards to be followed in the prevention of veld fires in the “National Veld and Forest Fire Act: Fire Protection Association Regulations”

Having understood the importance of preventative measures to be taken by farmers, as well as commercial and industrial enterprises, Aquadam has developed a Fire Tank which can be easily installed, is cost-effective compared to traditional concrete dams, and is designed to a safety specification which ensures that Water is available quickly, and without fuss, whenever the need arises. We are in the business of saving water, first and foremost, however we understand that there are additional applications for which our tanks are well-suited.

The Zincalume Steel used as the Shell of the Aquadam Fire Tank is an incredibly durable product. offers a superior level of protection against oxidation when compared to raw and untreated steel. Zinc, in fact, corrodes at about 1/30th the rate of untreated steel, and is in effect designed to last a life-time. With such a long-projected life-expectancy, we aim to put the minds of our farmers at ease, knowing that should disaster strike, they have a shield against the worst possible outcomes. That shield is made from Zincalume Steel and it is in the shape of an Aquadam Fire Tank.

Available sizes in terms of volume range from 13 thousand liters to 3.2 million Liters.

No job is therefore too big, or too small, for an Aquadam Fire Tank.  

We would love to hear from farmers who are aware of the looming threats posed by natural disasters, and it is our absolute pleasure to be involved in the agricultural industry. Anything we can do to assist, and to ensure the positive growth of agriculture in South Africa, is our reason for being. We view it as a privilege.

Thank you for reading, please get in touch with us at your earliest convenience for more information on how we can help you maintain a safe farming environment.

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