Its average rainfall is lower than that of all the other provinces. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith kindly provided us with the following information: Damages caused by drought and fires, the current state of agriculture and how these . There has been no rainfall as was expected in the months of September to December. South Africa: Eastern Cape Officials Still Counting Losses After Floods Kill 14 and Displace Hundreds Daily Maverick, 11 January 2022. It is also difficult to pinpoint exactly when the national drought began, as some areas had experienced below-average rainfall since 2014 (Drought SA 2016). by Béatrice Debut. This drought has had major socio-economic effects particularly on the large impoverished rural population as well as on some urban areas where supplied water services have broken down in several cases. This study investigated and analysed the preparedness, impact of and response by the farming community to the 2007/2008 drought using the Eastern Cape and Free State provinces of South Africa as case studies. summer rains, from a drought caused by El Nino, Cape Town in Western Cape is still gripped by its worst drought in a century, having had very low rainfall for the last three years. Agri Northern Cape's Willem Symington says the drought has had a major psychological impact on farmers and has caused distress for all residents in the region. To a meteorologist, a drought is a prolonged period when precipitation is less than normal. cause of cape drought. University of Cape Town (UCT) PhD candidate Precious Mahlalela presented her research on the science behind the situation, and its consequences, at the inaugural "Ocean Meets Sky" symposium, hosted and organised by postgraduates from the Department of . )What caused the drought? But there are also other reasons brought up in the public discourse, particularly on social media, such as population and water demand growth, unreported agricultural use, invasive species sucking out water in catchments, poor planning and mismanagement of water supply system, and lack of foresight in . . The question that is asked is the following: what is drought and whether it is caused by climate change or not? The results indicate that dry (wet) springs over the Eastern Cape are associated with a cyclonic (anticyclonic) anomaly southeast of South Africa as part of a shift in the zonal wavenumber 3 pattern in the midlatitudes. Five years of thirst: Eastern Cape battles brutal drought. recurring and prolonged drought, which greatly complicated British colonization efforts in the eastern Cape districts around Albany and Grahamstown. State, Limpopo, Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and Western Cape provinces. During a good harvest, it exports 10 million cartons of citrus. On Friday, the city's dam levels were recorded at 20.4%. • Extensive livestock areas are affected mostly by the drought of which 19 % of grazing areas in the province accounting for some 5 600 jobs. Distribution of Droughts 6. The causes of Cape Town's water crisis are hotly contested. "The Eastern Cape, especially the Western half of the province, is in one of the worst droughts in living memory. GettyImages September 22, 2020 What the tourism sector can learn from Cape Town . South Africa: Eastern Cape Officials Still Counting Losses After Floods Kill 14 and Displace Hundreds Daily Maverick, 11 January 2022. economy. Water has returned in limited . Locusts, drought, and devastation in the Graaff-Reinet district. Seventy mm of rain was recorded in the Adelaide -Fort Beaufort area, and 26mm in Graaff-Reinet. Below-normal sea temperatures to the south-west and east of the study area are associated with drought in the eastern Cape. By contrast, excessive rainfall characterized the mid-1970s. Between 2015 and 2018, a decline in rainfall resulted in Cape Town's worst droughts on record. It is bordered by the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces; . Causes . 28 Nov 2019 News 10 November 2019: The drought in the Eastern Cape since 2016 has caused many dams in the region, such as this one in the centre of Ngqwele village in Ngqushwa municipality, to dry up. The Western Cape Town region water supply system heavily relied on/was dependent on rainfall. (Picture: Deon. Much of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa has been experiencing a severe drought since 2015. The Eastern Cape has, in recent years, experienced a severe drought, accompanied by negative socio-economic impacts across the region. Research by oceanography student Precious Mahlalela into the cause of Cape Town's recent devastating drought has earned her the acknowledgment of having a paper published in top international scientific journal Climate Dynamics.. The Cape passed into British hands in September, 1795, yet, by 1797 when Lord McCartney, became governor, there was still scant interest in the hinterland. This drought has had major socio-economic effects particularly on the large impoverished rural . Drought is a great causal factor for low food production, thus, when experienced in poorer regions the effects of malnutrition, hunger, anemia and mortalities are compounded since there is little food available for consumption. The Northern Cape Province is the largest of all the nine Provinces of South Africa in terms of land mass, but has the smallest population. Water distribution by a humanitarian organisation in Bezuidenhoutville in Adelaide, Eastern Cape on November 26, 2019. The debilitating drought in the Eastern Cape is impacting badly on poor rural villagers and seasonal farm workers. Hunger, anemia, malnutrition and deaths of people are often witnessed in drought-stricken areas. Eastern, Western, and Northern Cape declared as severely affected (Mojapelo 2016). Analysis - After more than five years of drought, some parts of the Eastern Cape were happy to receive rain -- but heavy storms have cost many lives and destroyed homes and roads. This drought has had major socio-economic effects particularly on the large . Areas of the Eastern Cape that overlap with the Karroo, such as the area around Graaff-Reinet, have been especially badly hit. The township has been without running water for the last year and people rely heavily on donations. Possibility of Predicting Droughts 5. Wanders: "The stronger the El Niño signal, the less water is available in the region. Extreme dry and wet years are analysed for circulation, convection and sea-temperature differences. While drought is common to Southern Africa, associate . The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes the Northern Cape drought could result in the loss of 62 000 jobs in the province if . The town is struggling with severe water shortages, amid a devastating drought in the Eastern Cape. The question that is asked is the following: what is drought and whether it is caused by climate change or not? Northern Cape drought: The huge problem no-one is talking about. Below-normal sea temperatures to the south-west and east of the study area are associated with drought in the eastern Cape. These Eastern Cape dams have water levels below 50%, a predicamen­t for farmers and households in the areas these dams service. • The current drought . However, with the last 10% of water mostly. The current drought in South Africa's Western Cape province is withering and stunting vegetation across this crop-producing region. There's no water but we still have to pay, says Graaff-Reinet resident. Dam levels in early 1992 were 30% of capacity. More rain, sleet, hail, and snow can occur where there are moist, low-pressure air systems. "Large parts of the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape continue to suffer from the effects of the longest drought in 100 years," said Agri SA. Municipalities reported on the dire state of water resources and the efforts that they had undertaken to alleviate the drought. While Cape Town's water crisis was declared a national emergency in 2018, today the dams that supply the city with water are overflowing.. Two years ago, Cape Town faced becoming the first major city in the world to run out of drinkable water as it dealt with serious water scarcity.. The most recent Drought Policy Brief by fellow agricultural economists Louw Pienaar and Johann Boonzaaier puts the cost of the drought to the Western Cape agricultural economy at roughly R5.9 billion in gross value added. "The Eastern Cape is really struggling and the lesson we have to take from this, even if we don't completely understand it, is this: it's most likely cyclical, so there is going to be a time . "The most important cause of the lack of rain is thought to be the strong El Niño of recent years", says drought expert Niko Wanders. (Note: View this map to see the situation in December 2015. Consequences of Droughts Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Drought is one of the most damaging environmental phenomena. The American West's megadrought deepened so much last year that it is now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate change scenario playing out live, a new study finds. The first one is meteorological drought: this is an extended period during which less than . Longer periods, such as extended wet spells, for example, are usually caused by an invigoration of tropically induced circulation disturbances forced by tropical easterlies whereas the extended dry spells usually occur with an expansion and increase of westerly disturbances. Despite recent heavy rains in the Western Cape, water still needs to be saved and used very sparingly, says Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille. While some parts of the Eastern Cape are finally out of the drought, dams on the western side of the province are still below average and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro continues to face Day Zero, with . It is bordered by the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces; . The Eastern Cape is the "worst hit" province by the persistent drought that has gripped SA since 2015, human settlements, water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Monday. "The Dr Beyers Naude Municipality is still declared a water drought area. What Caused The Water Shortage? Farmers are facing a massive economic crisis. Five years of thirst: S.Africa's Eastern Cape battles brutal drought. Eastern Cape: 'The worst drought in a thousand years'. Port Elizabeth - Heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape this week appeared to spell an end to the dry season . Much of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa has been experiencing a severe drought since 2015. Farmers in the Northern Cape, Western Cape . To a water manager, a drought is a deficiency in water supply that affects water availability and water quality. After more than five years of drought, some parts of the . Simply knowing that eyes on the ground are seeing and hearing their worries, caring, and carrying that news back to where it can help, can be of tremendous support and comfort. By Linda Jackson on 24 January 2018. Drought crisis in Eastern Cape not over despite heavy rains. Heavy rains make little difference in the Cape. Consequences of Droughts Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Drought is one of the most damaging environmental phenomena. Circulation differences indicate that low-level westerly winds sweep across the region, in association with a stationary subtropical westerly wave of wavelength 3000 im and amplitude 1500 km. According to the Western Cape Government , there are four types of drought. The West's megadrought deepened so much last year that it is now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate change scenario playing out live, a new study finds. After five years of persistent lack of rain, one of the major problems facing the entire region is a lack of water. Eastern Cape cooperative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson Mamkeli Ngam said the drought had been classified as a national disaster, "meaning it's coordinated and managed at . Food Focus chatted to the City of Cape Town about the impact of the drought on the food industry in the Western Cape. The Orange River which runs through Aliwal North, Ugie, Mount Fletcher, Mclean, Lady Grey, Barkly East and Burgersdorp, is completely dry and most of the affected towns now rely on groundwater and water from tanks. Severe Drought Situation. A severe drought (lack of rainfall for a period of time) was the main cause of the shortage - it was reported to be about a one in 300 year rare event. Drought-stricken municipalities in the Eastern Cape breathed a sigh of relief on Friday when human settlements, water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu handed over 20 water trucks to the . Affected areas have had the lowest rainfall in 107 years. • Stock water remains a challenge for livestock and mortalities have been reported • Drought effects have caused delays in soil preparation and planting of grain crops. The Western Cape is experiencing the worst drought in more than a century South Africa's Western Cape province has declared a drought disaster as it faces its worst water shortage in 113 years. Residents in Graaff-Reinet, home to 40,000 people, told GroundUp their taps ran dry last year. After more than five years of drought, some parts of the . A dramatic drying in 2021 — about as dry as 2002 and one of the driest years ever recorded for the region — pushed the 22-year drought past the previous . Causes of Drought 4. Drought is a major disaster in South Africa in terms of total economic loss and number of people affected. Publication of coursework MSc research in renowned scientific journals is a great achievement, particularly when it addresses such a topical and complex subject . Reasons cited for the severity of the drought include poor water management by local government, unpredictable rainfall patterns and vandalism of local infrastructure. (The 4 August figure for Theewaterskloof was 21.7%). The pair of images above shows southwestern Africa on July 21, 2003 (left), and July 21, 2002 (right). • Drought shocks have a range of second-round effects given the strong linkages between the agricultural and other sectors. Much of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa has been experiencing a severe drought since 2015. Currently, these plants rely primarily on fossil fuels. The Cape Town drought was one of the longest and the worst to have affected the city and the region in recent times. Jun 12, 2017. The first one is meteorological drought: this is an extended period during which less than . The Eastern Cape drought MR Jury* and K Levey Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa Abstract In recent years the Eastern Cape has experienced recurring drought with unfavourable impacts on agricultural production and water resources. However, Eastern Cape Agriculture president, Dougie Stern, says any rain is welcome, but a follow-up rain is needed in order to end the drought in the province. The Western Cape (WC) Province was one of the provinces most impacted by the 2015-2018 drought (Botai et al., 2017;WCDOA, 2017), which was declared the most severe on record since the 1926 . There has been a significant . South . The effectiveness of doing so is shown within this article: although the causes, effects and predictions on the 2017-18 drought made headlines throughout the Western Cape, satellite imagery shows the agricultural impact of the drought varied strongly between regions. In volumes terms, the average agricultural production could decline by roughly 20%, and this is widespread across all crops . While excessive rains caused damage in households and delayed plantings in the province's northern regions, some areas have not yet received much rainfall and are still facing extreme drought conditions, especially . Some Karoo residents feel that their drought plight hasn't gripped the nation (and the world press) the way 'Day Zero' in the Cape did a few years ago. In Eastern Cape, a crippling drought coupled with inadequate contingency plans left thousands without water last year. Food Focus speaks to the City of Cape Town. The most important one though relates to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere as this is what creates precipitation. There is a drought, of course. Dessicated: An aerial view of Adelaide Dam in Eastern Cape Province, gripped by a brutal drought. The organisation added: "The drought conditions in many parts of South Africa is still having a severe impact on the sustainability of many farms. Their only concern was that the Cape's meat supply came mainly from Graaff-Reinet and some lesser interior districts. Eastern Cape - The recent floods experienced in the Eastern Cape are just the beginning, and the province is still going to experience further severe weather, as well as drought in certain areas . Most farmers are down to about half the animals that they usually keep on their farms. Research on long-term weather data done by the Climate System Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town determined that the low rainfall between the years 2015 and 2017 was a very rare . Satellite-based data is extremely useful to assess the impact of droughts. 1.2 Types of drought He shows that the amount of available water in the region around Cape Town is indeed dependent on El Niño (Figure 2). The Joe Gqabi district, with eight towns under its jurisdiction, is the latest to join the drought-stricken areas in the Eastern Cape. So far five provinces have been declared drought disaster areas: Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Free State.Some parts of the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape are severely affected by drought's effects as well. Because drought is defined as a deficit in water supply, it can be caused by a number of factors. The heavy rain of early June gave a welcome boost to the cumulative rainfall figure and to the Theewaterskloof Dam, the main source of Cape Town's water, but the level has not increased greatly since then, leaving it at 21.3% on 31 July when Western Cape dams in total were at 27.4% of capacity. 658 days ago. In this photo dated 9 October 2019, the Nqweba dam outside Graaff-Reinet had dried up completely. The drought-stricken areas of Graaff-Reinet and Adelaide received some encouraging rainfalls. The drought is reportedly having severe impacts on the population, with water supplies to Cape Town's residents due to be cut off on 12 April 2018 unless Causes of Drought 4. The western part of the Eastern Cape and adjacent parts of the Northern Cape have been suffering from drought for at least the past seven years and farmers are in the depths of despair, according to Doug Stern, Agri Eastern Cape president. The National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) together with Amatola Water and municipalities have been hard at work bringing water to communities that are affected by drought in the Eastern Cape since the province was declared a drought-stricken area, as well as in response to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. Possibility of Predicting Droughts 5. Each area experiences water issues caused to different degrees by . Some residents get water for a limited period per day. Meaning that the City's response to adapt to climate change is actively contributing towards climate-causing emissions. To date, the drought had cost agriculture in the Western Cape R7 billion. According to the Western Cape Government , there are four types of drought. Eastern Cape ravaged by double disaster of drought and poor municipal administration With the Impofu Dam last full in 2015 grass and vegetation grow where there was once water. Despite welcome rains recently, the Eastern Cape remains in the grip of a terrible drought. The El Nino weather phenomenon, one of the worst in 50 years, has caused intense drought in southern Africa that will have a "devastating" impact on the region's food security, the UN food agency . This drought has had major socio-economic effects particularly on the large impoverished rural population as well as on some urban areas where supplied water services have broken down in several cases. Distribution of Droughts 6. READ: Drought causes dip in Western Cape property sentiment; The Sundays River Citrus Company (SRCC), just outside Port Elizabeth, is the largest grower, packer and exporter of South African citrus. He said that many livestock, citrus and vegetable producers in the Eastern Cape were in dire straits. To a hydrologist, a drought is an extended period of decreased precipitation and streamflow. . The Impact of Drought in the Northern Cape. Despite welcome rains recently, the Eastern Cape remains in the grip of a terrible drought. The observations of the I820 settlers indicate that a disastrous three-year drought accompanied by lo-custs caused great hardship in the eastern Cape, the Ciskei, and the Transkei between 1821 and . The earth was so dry that a downpour of 100ml of rain in the Eastern Cape had resulted in a 0.5% rise in dam levels. The immediate cause of the water crisis was the extreme drought from 2015-2017 that exceeded the planning norms of the Department of Water and Sanitation. Though relief is being sent in from other provinces more and more livestock are dying due to the lack of grazing. • Western Cape Province (South Africa) is going through a severe drought, affecting in particular urban areas of Cape Town and its water supply. In general, drought is This is reduced to seven million cartons during a bad harvest. Cape Town is planning to spend up to $1.5 billion to construct four water desalination plants to provide water for residents. In general, drought is • Consequences of the drought will . Much of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa has been experiencing a severe drought since 2015. A dramatic . Photo: Joseph Chirume. Residents in Graaff-Reinet, home to 40,000 people, told GroundUp their taps ran dry last year.

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