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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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