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dam-l El Nino and S Africa
>
>EL NINO SHOULD NOT DRY UP SA'S WATER RESERVES: DEPARTMENT
>PRETORIA October 13 1997 Sapa
>
> The El Nino weather phenomenon should not dry up South Africa's
> water reserves thanks to the best storage levels in 77 years at
> major reservoirs, the Department of Water Affairs said on Monday.
>
> It said in a statemnt in Pretoria water delivery was not expected
> to become a problem for at least two to three years, which matched
> El Nino's life expectancy.
>
> "It is therefore evident that the emergenc of El Nino does not
> necessarily bode us all that is evil," the statement said. "It is
> fortunate that it hits us at a time when storage levels are
> excellent."
>
> The department said South Africa experienced above-average rainy
> seasons during 1995/96 and 1996/97, and the current storage state
> at major reservoirs was the best on record since 1920.
>
> El Nino, which is expected to cause a warming of the Pacific
> Ocean, generally impacts negatively on South Africa's summer
> rainfall.
>
> It was therefore expected that run-off from catchment areas would
> also be below average.
>
> The department said the long duration of a warm spell caused by El
> Nino in the Pacific between 1990 and 1995 was regarded as
> exceptional. Also, the 1982/83 drought caused by an unusually
> strong El Nino impacted South Africa at a time when storage levels
> were low at about 48 percent.
>
> The current storage level was 90 percent of capacity.
>
> "No problems are foreseen in water delivery from major water
> systems for the next two to three yeas, by which time the Pacific
> Sea surface temperatures may be back to normal or even below
> normal," the department said.
>
To: irn-safrica@igc.apc.org
X-Sender: lori@pop.igc.apc.org
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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