Don’t be fooled by the rain!
Ex-forester says the rains will have minimal effect on the main feeder of water to the City of uMhlathuze - the Goedertrouw Dam.
WELCOME as it is, the rain that has fallen over many parts of the region over the past couple of days has done nothing to ease the drought!
That is the professional opinion of an ex-forester who says the rains will have minimal effect on the main feeder of water to the City of uMhlathuze – the Goedertrouw Dam.
‘We need rain in the dam’s catchment area,’ said the expert.
‘Don’t be fooled by the bit of growth you might see after this week. It’s what is known as a green drought – the water is just on the surface of the land so some grass might grow, but the level of the water table below is basically unchanged.
‘And it will take weeks of extremely heavy rain in the right places before we begin to see dam levels rise.’
Meanwhile, residents are totally confused about the City’s decision to retract the night time water cut-offs announced yesterday.
‘The reasoning that it is to ‘give residents more time to get sensitised to the idea’, sounds weak,’ said the expert.
‘Personally, I think that they have suddenly realised the massive logistics involved in managing the switching on and off of the valves.
‘Then there is the possible bursting of pipes, especially the old ones, when the water is switched back on.
‘Perhaps the first announcement was premature.’
