This week’s weather an ‘impact of climate change’

South Africans should enjoy a warm, dry week after a gloomy weekend. The department of water and sanitation announced a significant increase in dam levels in the country, with the exception of Gauteng, where levels dropped.

South African Weather Service forecaster Edward Engelbrecht said today and tomorrow would be cool to warm and fairly dry across the country, with a few exceptions.

“Limpopo may have light, isolated morning showers, while the western parts of the country – including the western parts of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape – will be hot to very hot.”

On Wednesday, the service predicted isolated or scattered thundershowers in the western parts of the country, which were expected to move inland on Thursday.

“[The weather system] will then spread to the eastern parts of the country on Friday, including KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng,” said Engelbrecht.

Department of water and sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said: “According to the latest dam-level report, South Africa’s dam levels soared from 62.4% last week to 64%. An average 20 486.3 cubic metres of water is stored in reservoirs.

“However, Gauteng has seen its levels drop from 103% to 9 8 .9% .”

Ratau said after months of drought, the Eastern Cape had made slight progress, with dam levels rising from 50.7% last week to 51.4 “thanks to consistent downpours”.

KwaZulu-Natal had risen from 57.6% to 60.3% and the Free State had a 71.1% level, “fractionally above the corresponding period last year”.

He continued: “Limpopo’s dams continue to rise, from 62.3% a week ago to 69% this week. Mpumalanga is at 75.2%, slightly up from 74.4% a week ago.

“The Northern Cape remains stable at 80.8%, compared to 80.9% previously, while North West has dropped from 67.3% to 66.8%.

“At a provincial average of 49%, a slight drop from the 50% last week, the Western Cape is nearing the end of its dry summer hydrological season and will enter its wet season in May.”

He said: “The iconic Vaal dam, bordering both the Free State and Gauteng provinces, is just a tad up at 57.4% against the 56.9% last week – still much lower than at the same time last year, when it was at 71.7%.

“The North West took a slight knock when its dams dropped from 67.3% to 66.8% in past week. However, comparatively speaking, the province’s dams have improved greatly in the past four months, rising from 43.7% in November.

“The figures reflect the real impact of the late rain, married to the very high temperatures … All these indicate the impacts of climate change and the continued need to safeguard the country’s water resources.”

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