Welcome rains not near enough
Most of the rain fell along the coast with very little in the Zululand dams' catchments.
WHILE many sporting activities in Zululand were postponed or cancelled over the weekend, farmers were grateful for the welcome rains, albeit it was not as much as they would have hoped for.
According to the official SA Sugar Association Research Institute’s (SASRI) rainfall figures, Saturday had the most rain, with smaller amounts falling on Friday and Sunday.
As on previous occasions, most of the rain fell along the coast with very little in the Zululand dams’ catchments.
The level of the important Goedertrouw Dam in the Nkwalini Valley has stayed constant on 37.5% over the last two weeks, despite the rains.
The other three major dams, Pongolapoort, Hluhluwe and Klipfontein have dropped by between 0.5 and 0.3 percent.
The Empangeni, Richards Bay and Heatonville areas had the most rain with around 15.5mm being recorded.
Further south, SASRI in Gingindlovu measured 4.9mm on Friday and 10.3mm on Saturday.
Inland, eShowe and Nkwalini measured 15.5mm and 12mm respectively.
The Agriculture Research Centre in Makhathini recorded 5.6mm on Saturday with another 2.9mm falling on Sunday.
Mkuze Estate recorded a total of 4.1mm over Friday and Saturday.
Melmoth had 4.8mm, 3.3mm and 0.3mm since Friday.
The situation is still critical and residents are warned of the danger of fires, especially if the wind is blowing.
Although the vegetation is turning green, it is still highly flammable which is conducive to veld fires.
