Heavy Rain, flooding and damage to property in South Africa, during at least the past two to three rain seasons.
Heavy Rain, flooding and damage to property in South Africa, during at least the past two to three rain seasons.
With the earth warming, and higher ocean temperatures, South Africa experienced severe rain and flooding due to the El Nino weather pattern resulting from the winds over the warmer sea streams.
We have seen severe flooding in certain metro’s, the rural areas in South Africa, and yet certain areas, the Karoo, far Northern Cape, still experienced heavy droughts, cattle losses and veld fires.
Severe rainstorms can be modelled, although difficult to predict. In South Africa, with a total lack of servicing and upkeep by the Government of Infrastructure, some of the floodings could have been better contained in cities, by regular service of the drainage systems, yet we found most blocked, resulting in buildings flooded, and cars washed away.
This resulted in Insurers Paying out a record number of flood claims, leaning heavily on Reinsurers, and the clients ultimately will have to pay higher premiums, dictated by Reinsurers. Ultimately some clients will not be able to pay these higher premiums.
The managing of our dams and dam levels can be better done, ad provision made for water to come in the El Nino season, yet every time, dams are filled up to well over 100%, like the Vaal dam up to 120%, leading to severe flooding downstream, as 12 sluices having to be opened, and is still open to prevent damage to the dam wall.
These masses of water downstream flooded towns like Parys, Bloemhof, and at Douglas where the Vaal River and Orange River join, masses of water flow past Augrabies and into the ocean.
By maintaining drainage systems, flooding can be minimised, and planning dam levels with intelligence, and containing water levels is of critical importance.
As it is based on empirical data it is projected that next year or season will see the opposite, a La Nina season, with droughts. Therefore we need to contain dam levels to make sure we have water, as South Africa is a water-scarce Country.