The Western Cape is still in the midst of a devastating drought. Dam levels are currently at 36% of their storage capacity, with last week seeing a 0.1% drop.
Weather scientist Cobus Olivier has said that the Western Cape will most likely not see a drop of rain, at least until March.
Cape Town’s weather predictions aren’t seeing any rainfall for the whole of December.
Olivier says the Cape won’t benefit from the weather phenomenon known as ‘La Niña’. La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon. During this period a sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3 – 5°C.
He says it will instead increase showers over summer rainfall areas of the country.
Carolyn Roberts of the UK-based Knowledge Transfer Network believes droughts creep up and develop over a period of time – but adds that very often droughts end suddenly with heavy rains.
The City of Cape Town will be using the Atlantic-Silwerstroom Aquifer, the Cape Flats Aquifer, and Table Mountain Group Aquifer to supplement surface water.
The city will turn off taps when dam levels reach 13%, says Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille.
Photography Andreas Eiselen/HM Images
