Zululand drought far from broken
The much-needed downpour brought welcome relief to southern Zululand, but the situation remains dire in the drought-stricken north.
WHILE Zululanders woke up on Wednesday morning to the beautiful sound of rain falling on their rooftops, the drought stranglehold in the region has not been broken.
The much-needed downpour brought welcome relief to southern Zululand, but the situation remains dire in the drought-stricken north.
In the south, Gingindlovu and Amatikulu measured 43.7mm, but further inland it dropped to 21.3mm on Woodgarth Farm outside eShowe and 18mm to 12.4mm in the Entumeni area.
But by 2pm on Wednesday afternoon, eShowe had recorded 98mm. Heavy falls were also recorded in Nkwaleni, Heatonville and Empangeni with measurements in the mid-30s while Intaba recorded 42mm by 2pm.
Rural communities were also rejoicing following the showers, but in northern Zululand soft rain only started falling later in the day with very little rain recorded in St Lucia by noon.
At this stage it is still unclear as to how the rain will affect dam levels, as more rain appears to have fallen along the coast and not as much in the catchment areas of the main dams.
Drought not over
Consumers are reminded that the drought is far from over.
‘One rain storm will not alleviate the drought, but every bit helps, especially for the agricultural sector,’ said Chief Engineer for the Department of Water Services in KZN, Norman Ward.
‘I have not received figures from the Goedertrouw Dam yet, but reports from southern regions show a considerable amount of rain with much more still falling. So we hope for a good figure on Thursday morning,’ Ward said.
uThungulu District Municipal Manager Mandla Nkosi said the worst affected areas in the district – Mtunzini, Gingindlovu and Amatikulu – had received good rainfall.
‘It is, however, too early to say whether this will yield positive outcomes. We need at least another five days of rain,’ said Nkosi.
But SA Weather Services has issued a severe weather warning for KZN for, among others, uThungulu and uMkhanyakude over the weekend.
Heavy rainfalls are predicted, with the possibility of localised flooding.
A 90% chance of rain is being predicted on Saturday for eShowe and Richards Bay.
Hluhluwe and northern Zululand have a 75% chance of rain, starting on Friday afternoon and continuing through to Sunday morning.
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