Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – As the rainy season is dwindling down over the sub-region, the likelihood for rainfall recovery is virtually nil. This, despite the 48-hour light to locally moderate rainfall that resulted in up to 70mm of rain over some parts of the central areas of Namibia over the past weekend. It was a question of too little too late, weather forecasters say.
During the next three days, while suppressed rainfall is forecast to continue over a wide area of central southern Africa, only scattered thundershowers are likely to fall over the western-Kunene, Erongo, Khomas, Hardap and Karas regions while enhanced and heavy rainfall is expected to continue over northern Mozambique, southern Tanzania, and northern Madagascar. The forecast of additional light rainfall may still exacerbate conditions over water-logged and oversaturated areas, the Climate Prediction Center’s Africa Hazards Outlook announced.
The Meteorological Service in Windhoek forecasts a partly cloudy and very hot extreme northeast, elsewhere partly cloudy and warm to hot with a few to isolated thundershowers as from Monday.
Well below-average rainfall since the beginning of the southern African monsoon has resulted in large seasonal moisture deficits over a wide area of southern Africa. Since January to present, negative rainfall anomalies were observed across northern Namibia and southern Angola, southern Zambia and northern Zimbabwe. This has resulted in Namibia battling with its worst drought in decades and government has already availed N$573 million to assist those farmers hard-hit in areas north of the veterinary cordon fence.
The Dare to Care Disaster Fund of the Namibian Agricultural Union now stands at N$4 million and the Namibia Farmers Drought Aid Programme at more than N$500 000 in support of communal, commercial and emerging farmers.
The lack or absence of rainfall for some crop producing areas has already resulted in wilting conditions and dried up dams in some areas
According to reports, high temperatures since January and dry conditions that followed the previous poor October to December season, have already negatively impacted pastoral conditions and the livelihoods of people over many areas of the various regions in Namibia.
An analysis of the recent vegetation health index has indicated that wide areas throughout Namibia were under unfavourable conditions and continued to do so over the recent weeks. Conditions on the grounds could further deteriorate if good rainfall distribution does not return over the upcoming weeks of
April.