A better than projected maize crop will obviously mitigate food inflation. South africa is facing one of the worst droughts to hit the region in 30 years. Pdf drought indicators for south africa members of drought. Lessons for the future dhesigen naidoo friday, february 23. However, a comprehensive analysis of droughts, including their evolution, complexity, social implications. Day zero on the back of drought in southern africa. Impacts of drought induced water shortages in south africa. In spring 2018, news of the water crisis in south africa ricocheted around the worldthen the story disappeared. Figure 6 fapar anomaly in western cape south africa for the period 01012018 to 10012018. While geographers have researched the causes and impacts of drought in many african contexts, south africa and in particular its bantustans have not received sufficient similar attention. In south africa, drought is a very important phenomenon that affects not only agricultural production but also society.
Box 1 impact of drought on the manufacturing sector in zimbabwe 28 box 2 model hng the economic impact of the 1992 drought in south africa 32 box 3 impact of drought on the distribution of income 35 box 4 lake kariba and the 199192 drought 37 box 5 modelling the longerterm impact of drought 40 figures. The 201820 mozambique drought is an ongoing period of drought taking place in southern africa. The cape town water crisis in south africa was a period of severe water shortage in the western cape region, most notably affecting the city of cape town. The global warming situation tends to exacerbate the drought conditions. The limpopo basin in southern africa is prone to droughts, which affect the livelihoods of millions of people in south africa, botswana, zimbabwe, and. A threeyear drought has dropped the water level behind the crucial voelvlei dam to dangerously. In the united states, the most devastating drought on record occurred in the 1930s during the socalled dust bowl. Nov 30, 2015 south africa is facing one of the worst droughts to hit the region in 30 years, affecting food production and prices, while many small farmers are expected to go out of business, writes the bbcs. Metrological drought is a warning sign of potential water shortage if conditions remain constant for extended period. The effects of drought are widespread and have devastating effects on the environment and the society as a whole. Drought preparedness and mitigation plan is divided into four sections, namely prediction, monitoring, impact based assessment and response. Drought indicators for south africa members of drought indicator committee to national drought task team. South africa water shortage, cape town drought water. This kind of drought occurs when atmospheric moisture is minimized to the degree that soil moisture is impacted.
In 2017, the severity of cape towns water shortages, for example, caught international media attention, with extreme conditions being met with ever staggering water restrictions. Southern african rainfall does not show any trend to desiccation during the 20th century. South africa grapples with worst drought in 30 years bbc news. South africa is the largest producer of maize on the african continent and, in a normal production season, 40% of maize produced in south africa is traded in the southern african development community sadc region agri sa, 2016. Nov 25, 2019 deadly drought in southern africa leaves millions hungry november 25, 2019 in this photo taken on thursday, nov. While dam water levels had been declining since 2015, the cape town water crisis peaked during mid2017 to mid2018 when water levels hovered between 15 and 30 per cent of total dam capacity.
Texas, oklahoma and new mexico were most adversely affected. Drought also affected parts of arizona, kansas, arkansas, georgia, florida, mississippi, alabama, south and north carolina. The impact of drought on subsaharan african economies. The droughtaffected settlements in south africa as a 12month spi map. This kind of drought can also be short lived, which means it can start and end in a short period. Studies on the prediction and monitoring of droughts. This study investigated and analysed the preparedness, impact of and response by the. Yet south africa is overexploiting most of its river systems, according to a report by the countrys institute for security studies. Drought characterization in south africa under a changing. Crops in south africa and climate change, chapter c1. Rapid recovery of ecosystem function following extreme. However, the subcontinent experienced particularly severe droughts in. South africa is one of the drought prone countries in the african continent. According to the south african weather service any amount of rain less than seventyfive percent of normal annual rainfall constitutes a meteorological drought.
How droughts will affect south africa s broader economy editions. The extreme us great grain belt drought of 2012 is. Wfp 2016, specifically covering the period october 2015 to january 2016 wfp 2016, it followed the third driest season in the. Drought and water crisis in southern africa, european commission. If youre seeing rain or snow, but are seeing it in lighter amounts a drizzle here and flurries there, rather than steady rain or snow showers this can also signal a drought in themaking. Cape towns water crisis was declared a national disaster on tuesday by south africas government. This paper outlines firstly the dimensions of drought in south africa, including the biophysical and. It is the gateway to the rest of africa, with its shared borders making it favourably situated for economic cooperation with other. Types, causes and effects of droughts earth eclipse. Limpopo province is situated in the northern part of south africa figure 1. Climate prediction centers africa hazards outlook april.
The recent drought in southern africa has underscored the need for detailed analysis of the phenomenon. Nov 30, 2015 south africa is facing one of the worst droughts to hit the region in 30 years. Jul 06, 2018 at the peak of the drought, usable water levels were down to less than 20 per cent. The region was weeks away from day zero in march credit.
Maize production in south africa and climate change. The limpopo basin in southern africa is prone to droughts, which affect the livelihoods of millions of people in south africa, botswana, zimbabwe, and mozambique. Drought characterization in south africa under a changing climate. An exceptional drought in south africa is going through a severe drought, affecting in particular the highly populated urban area of cape town and its water supply. The drought began in late october 2018, and is negatively affecting food security in the region. Jan 21, 2020 an exceptional drought may 02, 2018 south africa.
Some of the worst droughts witnessed in subsaharan africa have been associated with global warming and climate change. Many small farmers are expected to go out of business as food production and prices increase, especially in the free. Oxfam south africa is a new organisation, the first african affiliate of the oxfam. What the drought did was highlight existing vulnerabilities in south africas water system, and properly frame the magnitude of the challenge of ensuring water security for the country.
The south african weather service defines a drought as a period of 12 moths when. Concerning soil moisture, a situation of severe drought is detected from september. This paper outlines firstly the dimensions of drought in south. Apr 12, 2019 in spring 2018, news of the water crisis in south africa ricocheted around the worldthen the story disappeared. Western cape province in south africa is going through a severe drought, affecting in particular the highly populated urban area of cape town and its water supply. Mar 06, 2019 if the pattern of drought continues in south africa its likely to affect the countrys financial standing too. This study investigated and analysed the preparedness, impact of and. How droughts will affect south africas broader economy. Drought is a major disaster in south africa in terms of total economic loss and number of people affected. Deadly drought in southern africa leaves millions hungry. Looking back on cape towns drought and day zero citylab. Section two of the report provides an overview of the status and trends on drought and desertification in africa. Worst drought in 30 years hits sout africa bbc news youtube.
While this certainly can initiate drought conditions, oftentimes the onset of a drought is less noticeable. Drought and desertification are at the core of serious challenges and threats facing sustainable development in africa. Lessons lost andor learnt from 1990 to 2005 wayne devlin austin a dissertation submitted to the faculty of science, university of the witwatersrand. These problems have far reaching adverse impacts on human health, food security, economic activity, physical infrastructure, natural resources and. The current drought is the effect of a sustained belowaverage monthly rainfall series since 2015, which intensified in the last wet season april to september 2017. Therefore, a drought in south africa also affects the region of sadc more broadly. Drought and water crisis in southern africa jrc publications. Handbook for farmers, officials and other stakeholders on adaptation to climate change in the agriculture sector within south africa. East africa ea has been the primary focus for various drought studies in recent years. Worst drought in 30 years hits sout africa bbc news.
Pdf the free state fs and north west nw provinces are often hard hit by droughts with impacts on water availability, farm production and. Drought is fast becoming a natural phenomenon in parts of east and south africa. Since 2015 a large portion of south africa has experienced extended periods of drought, with five provinces being declared disaster zones. Africa is a good example of great vulnerability to drought and desertification and a seemingly inability to manage these climate based issues. This report forms part of a series of three reports. South africa is facing one of the worst droughts to hit the region in 30 years, affecting food production and prices, while many small farmers are expected to go out of business, writes the bbcs. This past 7 days, a very localized rainfall pattern has been registered over the central mozambique, eastern zimbabwe, centralwestern botswana, northern namibia and central south africa covering lesotho. It is a recurring phenomenon, with spatial and temporal characteristics that vary significantly from one region to another noaa, 2006. Aug 31, 2012 drought is a major disaster in south africa in terms of total economic loss and number of people affected. As of midaugust 2019, the drought is classified as a level 2 redclass event by the global disaster alert and coordination system. Sep 28, 2018 exceptional drought d4, pdsi between 5.
A lot has been said about the drought in south africa. South africa grapples with worst drought in 30 years bbc. There are many causes of drought in africa, there is need to know the causes in order. The significance of these problems in the region is demonstrated by outlining the impact that drought and desertification have on economic growth and poverty. If youre seeing rain or snow, but are seeing it in lighter amounts a drizzle here and flurries there, rather than steady rain or snow showers this can also signal a drought inthemaking. A drought means a long period of dry weather during which the lack of rain results in a severe shortage of water.