Drought woes set to ‘linger’

South Africa will take two to three years to recover from the worst drought in a century, but the Western Cape will feel the effects for longer, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said yesterday.

In her budget vote speech, she said the major dams were on average almost three-quarters full by the beginning of the week, but in the southern-most province the situation was still serious.

“As of May 22, the total capacity of the 215 major dams that are measured on a weekly basis was at 72.6%,” she said. “We have not fully recovered and it will take a period of not less than two to three years to fully recover – and it’s worse for the Western Cape, with its winter rainfall, where even climate scientists remain non-committal on the predictions.”

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille declared the province a disaster area on Tuesday and the City of Cape Town tightened water restrictions further, instructing residents not use more than 100 litres a day.

Tension between Zille and Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille had led to a “severe delay” in declaring the province a disaster area, Mokonyane said.

According to the city, storage dam levels were at 20.7%. The last 10% of a dam’s water was not usable and warned consumption continued to exceed the target by almost 100 million litres a day, it said. No significant rainfall has been forecast for the region for the next fortnight. – ANA

It will take a period of not less than two to three years to fully recover. Nomvula Mokonyane Minister of Water and Sanitation