LATEST: Drought and floods forecast for region

Southern Africa has experienced a phenomenal change in rainfall patterns making crop planning quite difficult and drought patterns more prevalent as shown in this file photo.

Walter Nyamukondiwa in GABORONE, Botswana—
Southern African countries have been urged to prepare for the worst for the 2017/18 rainfall season, after a regional forecast released over the weekend showed there will be a drought in the first half of the season and floods in the second. According to an outlook released by the Southern African Development Committee (Sadc), Climate Services Centre (CSC) at a climate forum here, there would be normal to below normal rains from October to November and normal to above normal rains from January to March 2018.

Sadc climate experts said at the meeting that the first phase of below normal to normal rains could result in some countries suffering a devastating drought, while the second phase could see some battling a humanitarian disaster caused by floods due to the normal to above normal rains.

This, according to CSC, calls for careful planning to ensure food security and disaster preparedness in the event of flooding.

More details to follow…