‘Drought was expected, no preparation done’

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The government was warned of the impending drought and severe water shortages years before they hit the country, but chose to ignore the call to put coping and mitigation strategies into place, weather experts have said.

When the drought arrived there was no way to stop it, and if there were no preparations in place, disaster could only be expected. The durations that existed between drought periods and wet conditions and the severity were the subject of research.

Nomquphu warned that the tendency to be complacent would rear its ugly head if rains fell. Water restrictions could become the norm as the situation worsened, he said.