Grassroots Vol 20 No 4 | Page 18

NEWS

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Continuing drought in Algoa water source areas : climate and streamflow trends in the Kromme catchment

ash your hands well and often , for 20 seconds each time , and keep your surroundings clean , but be sure not to use more than 50 L of water per day …
It is never a good time for a drought , but with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic a water crisis is a double whammy for the Algoa region of the Eastern Cape .
This article takes a look at some recent and historical climate and estimated streamflow statistics for the Kromme catchment , one of the major water supply catchments in the area where SAE- ON postdocs and students have been conducting research .
Algoa drought and water supply – keeping up with an uncertain future
While much of the Western Cape has emerged from the infamous 2017 – 2018 ‘ Day-Zero ’ drought over the last year , other parts of South Africa have experienced continued or renewed water scarcity . As of 20 September 2020 , the five water supply reservoirs of the Algoa Water Supply System had combined storage of 18.7 %.

Julia Glenday

Current Address : SAEON Fynbos Node Reprinted From : https :// bit . ly / 3mRX2Nh
The Algoa Water Supply System supplies the city of Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole ( NMBM ) and several surrounding towns , as well as the Coega Industrial Development Zone and large areas of commercial irrigated agriculture . Water restrictions have been in place for several months , with those listed in July 2020 allowing agricultural users 20 % of their normal allocation and the NMBM 70 %. From September 2020 , a 50 L per person per day restriction was placed on domestic users in the NMBM , with flow restrictors to be widely installed .
Even without drought conditions , the
Figure 1 . ( a ) Location of the Kromme catchment area in the Eastern Cape ( above ), the upper Kromme catchment area showing active rainfall gauges and ( b ) an interpolated surface for mean annual rainfall ( MAP ) produced by Lynch 2003 .
Algoa Water Supply System was recognised to be insufficient to meet projected demand , last thought to be in theoretical balance in 2009 . Efforts to
17 Grassroots Vol 20 No 4 December 2020