Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Chess tournament leaves participants feeling grandiose
  • GM Direct publishing break
  • “Makhanda is in shambles,” says Ward Four resident
  • GADRA and Mobile Science Lab launch new science project
  • Ward Two residents buy own floodlights to combat cable theft
  • A town without a playground: where do the children play?
  • Women, Politics, Power, Patriachy: A feminist lens
  • Makhanda’s Links Royal House Gaokx’aob (Chief) has died
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»NEWS»Welcome rain – but we need more
NEWS

Welcome rain – but we need more

Sue MaclennanBy Sue MaclennanOctober 15, 2020No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Snow on the Winterberg as seen from Mountain Drive in the late afternoon of Monday 12 October. Photo: Roddy Fox

“Surely the dams are starting to fill up by now?” is what Makhanda residents are asking after three weeks of good rains.

Grocott’s Mail spoke to farmers in the catchment for our town’s rain-dependent supply dams to the west.

Farmers Association Chair for Central Albany Dale Howarth says, “We had 42mm two weeks ago and 20mm last weekend, so a total of around 60mm.

“It was very nice and we’re very grateful. But a few hot days and the soil was dry again. There was no runoff whatsoever.”

Runoff is what’s needed to fill the dams.

“We need 150-175mm over two to three days to saturate the soil and create runoff.”

Howarth is Chairperson of the Central Albany Agricultural Association representing farms from Sidbury across to the Bushmans River area to north of Makhanda. He’s also the Director of Pumba Private Reserve.

He says all the farmers in the area are in the same boat.

“Everyone including Lower Albany, Bathurst, from Nanaga to the Fish River, Riebeeck East and  Alicedale says the rain was very welcome, but hasn’t made a difference to the water situation.

“It was enough to dampen the soil and turn the sweet grass green and that’s about it.”

At Mosslands things were the same.

“It was a lovely soaking rain, but it soaked into the ground. There was no runoff,” said Richard Moss.

“The water table is so low – we’ve had hardly a drop since April. The water table must fill up before we start having any runoff.”

Moss reckons the catchment area needs another 100mm this month before it will start to see any runoff. He measure 42mm two weeks ago and 17mm last weekend, totalling 57mm.

The next five days are predicted to be dry and hot in Makhanda, with a maximum temperature of 33C predicted on Saturday.

Previous ArticleCovid, corruption, isolation step into language limelight
Next Article ‘Baby Luck’ meets her rescuer – 21 years later
Sue Maclennan
  • Twitter

Local journalism

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.