STELLENBOSCH - Heavy rains in Southern Africa are becoming more frequent due to climate change, says an expert.
They are classified as 1-in-50 and 1-in-100-year events. However, due to global warming, these extreme weather events are becoming more frequent.
Prof Guy Midgley, director of the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University, says this trend is a major cause for concern.
Parts of the region received more than a year’s worth of rain in January, leading to over 200 deaths and displacing thousands.
Farming areas were devastated, and roads and infrastructure sustained significant damage.
In South Africa, the Kruger National Park was temporarily closed.
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While summer rains are expected annually in South Africa and are usually welcome for farmers, climate change and the La Niña effect are combining to create extreme rainfall events across the region.
“There are parts of Southern Africa which are very vulnerable to the additional effects of climate change and global warming,” says Midgley.
He emphasises the need for governments to understand these events in order to protect communities against the impacts of climate change and seasonal extremes.
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“The important thing here is how we respond and recover as we rebuild,” says Midgley.
Midgley says this knowledge will inform efforts to increase infrastructure resilience in preparation for the next flood.
“What is so important for us as a region is that we need to see recovery from these events as a development effort,” he explains.
Adapting to climate change, he says, will be a measure of how well the country is developing.
“It is essential that the investments we make do not get washed away,” he adds, noting that improving early warning systems is a key part of the response.