Durban - The recent rain in drought-stricken KwaZulu-Natal has brought welcome relief but it is too soon to tell if the drought is broken.
Further rainfall is expected at the end of the week.
Snow has been falling in parts of the Drakensberg leading to temperatures plummeting, amid fears that the water-logged situation may result in flooding, particularly in low-lying areas.
Two major horse-racing events – the drawcard Gold Cup that was to have been run in Durban and the Dundee July – had to be halted because of dangerous conditions on both tracks.
The rain also caused havoc on the roads as a number of accidents were reported yesterday.
No roads were closed but traffic officials were monitoring the situation.
Mike Black, president of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union, said the rain would definitely make a difference to crops but said it was far too early to say the drought was over.
“Over the past four days we have recorded 30mm of rain which, for the middle of winter, is fantastic. This has been a big boost to farmers but we have a long way to go,” Black said.
The rain has also raised the level of Hazelmere Dam.
Shami Harichunder, spokesman for Umgeni Water, said the water level had increased by one percent by Friday.
The dam level now stands at 27.5 percent.
He said they would only be able to measure the impact of the weekend’s rainfall on the dam level tomorrow.
But the drought was not over yet, said Harichunder. “For the water levels at Hazelmere to be greatly impacted, rain needs to fall in its catchment areas in Greytown, Wartburg and Kranskop.
Rain has fallen mostly in Durban, Verulam and Tongaat so far.
The rainfall in Tongaat and Verulam will make its way to the uThongathi River.
Umgeni Water will extract water from uThongathi River and pipe it into the Hazelmere Dam.”
He said their other water sources were in a healthy condition, with Hazelmere being the only problem area at this stage.
He said the snowfall in certain parts of KZN was welcome as it would eventually make its way into the Umgeni Water system when it melted.
“The ground has been parched recently, the recent rain has been absorbed and will convert into run-off water, which will flow into rivers,” he said.
South Coast cane and banana farmer Scot Scott said the coast had experienced good rain this week.
Inland areas had recorded far less rain with only 26mm recorded in some areas, he said.
“Oribi had 6mm and Harding had as little as 4mm in some places. Port Edward and Southbroom had fantastic rain, between 80mm and 106mm. The rain will definitely have an impact on crops but you can’t say the drought is over after one good shower. It depends on whether we will have follow up rains,” he said.
He said the rain had been great for the mental state of farmers who were stressed because of the drought.
“They are smiling again. The drought was heavy on everyone’s minds,” Scott said.
Farmer Kathy Hurley said:
“This rain is important but we need a lot more rain. We are looking forward to a couple more cold fronts coming in from the Cape. We need rain like this past week every week to come out of the drought,” she said.
The South African Weather Service said it would continue to rain today.
The weather would clear on Monday with warm weather expected for the rest of the week.
However, the cold front was moving towards KZN with more rain and snow expected from Friday into next weekend.
Meanwhile KZN traffic authorities have cautioned motorists to be careful on the roads after a string of accidents this weekend.
RTI spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said they had been keeping a watchful eye on the roads.
Mngomezulu said the snowfall in Kokstad and Van Reenen was not significant enough to force road closures in those areas.
Rescuecare spokesman Garrith Jamieson said 20 patients had been taken to hospital yesterday after being involved in car accidents.
“People don’t respect the weather and still drive recklessly. They don’t maintain a safe following distance and are unable to brake in time. We urge them to drive cautiously when it rains.”
Netcare spokesman Chris Botha expressed concern at the speeds some motorists travelled at despite the slippery road surfaces.
“Some drivers are ignoring the treacherous conditions and driving as if they were on a super speedway.”
Two men were seriously injured when two trucks collided on the N3 near Harrismith yesterday.
In a separate incident, seven people were injured when a taxi crashed into a car at the junction of West and Prince Alfred Street.
Two people were injured when a vehicle lost control before hitting a light pole in Vause Road yesterday.
Two children, aged 7, were seriously injured when a car slammed into a truck on the N3 near the Shongweni off-ramp.
The car the children were travelling in veered off the road, crossed the centre median and slammed into a truck.
Sunday Tribune