Severe Drought in South Africa

South Africa has been hard hit by a persistent drought for the past few months as a result of one of the biggest El Nino events ever recorded in the country 

Weather forecasters are predicting a record dry season, with water restrictions already in force in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Francois Engelbrecht, a researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said the outlook of the coming rain season is not positive, indicating that the drought would continue.

"Usually when we have El Nino events they are associated with below normal rainfall. In some cases they are associated with severe drought," Engelbrecht said in a debate on El Nino.

El Nino is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central pacific that occurs every few years. It can bring floods to some regions, but in Southern Africa it always brings drought, increases the number of heatwave days and reduces soil moisture.

Engelbrecht said the drought will cause dire consequences to the country's food security, considering that in the last two seasons South Africa did not receive adequate rains.

He said, "If we are going to have a third season of below normal rainfall levels, there would be negative consequences for many of the crops that we grow."

Engelbecht added that these El Nino events will also put the country's water reservoirs in danger.

Source: Jamaica Observer

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Taxonomy

• Water Scarcity
• Scarcity
• Drought