Teboho Masupha and Mokhele Moeletsi
Climate-related disasters such as drought pose significant threats to the agricultural sector in South Africa, which plays a critical role in the country’s socio-economic well-being.
As a nation prone to droughts, it is crucial to evaluate our readiness for such disasters. However, the occurrence of floods has become a major aspect of concern, due to current conditions.
The 2022/23 agricultural season began with above-average rainfall, typical of a La Niña phase in the summer rainfall region.
In many regions, heavy downpours have caused destructive floods, leading to the declaration of a national state of disaster by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
These events often cause us to overlook other potential disasters like drought.
The government has previously allocated millions of rands in response to disaster-droughts such as the 2015-19 multi-year drought.
However, at times, the impacts are not solely due to water deficits but also due to ineffective planning, which highlights policy gaps.
As part of a recent study by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), survey participants were questioned about their understanding of current policies related to drought hazard.
The common response was to cite the Disaster Management Act of 2002, as amended, as the primary guiding policy. Currently, only two provinces reported having their drought plans in place, while the remaining provinces relied on the disaster management frameworks and contingency plans that are implemented seasonally.
The Disaster Management Act mandates the preparation of disaster management plans at both national and provincial levels, with corresponding early warning mechanisms.
Based on the survey conducted, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) relies primarily on collating seasonal forecasts and observed agricultural and hydrological products as indicators for early warning. It was noted that the current system is not ICT-based and thus, communication channels do not facilitate efficiency due to reliance on manual dissemination methods.
Issues relating to end-user uptake and response capacity were concerning, as about 73% of officials who participated in the study did not fully understand the seasonal forecast, and some were not aware of available agricultural drought products. This highlights the need to conduct awareness workshops at all levels of government to ensure that end-users can interpret and utilize the available products effectively.
In summary, the current policy recognizes the importance of early warning systems (EWS) in reducing drought risk, but there is still much work to be done, specifically concerning implementation.
The current EWS requires significant improvements to become more efficient, starting with tailor-made drought plans for each province, with clear action plans on early warning.
Participants also pointed out that policies and strategies should prioritize proactive approaches, as one of them stated: “Drought cannot be treated like other hazards as it has a slow onset that makes it challenging to handle as an emergency.”
Even during a good rainfall season, it is essential to remember that some regions still experience prolonged drought impacts. Therefore, proactive interventions, such as innovative EWS incorporating modern technologies, will enhance continuous communication. The cost of using smart decision support tools to guide decision-making, planning, and improve response capacities could be far less than that of disaster relief and recovery.
Masupha is a junior researcher and Moeletsi (PhD), a research team manager: Agrometeorology and Climate Change, at the Agricultural Research Council – Natural Resources and Engineering.
Cape Times