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.
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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