JOHANNSBURG - Temperatures are set to rise in South Africa over the coming years, in a trend likely to lead to drier soils and drive changes in both water management and land use, two government ministers said on Tuesday.
Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica told a national conference on climate change a major study on the impact of projected changes in rainfall and temperature showed that evaporation rates in South Africa may rise by 10-20 percent.
"This could mean that soils will become drier more often, increasing the demand for irrigation water or reducing crop yields, and possibly resulting in changes in land use," she said in a speech. She gave no time frame for the trend.
But her comments were echoed by Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza, who told the conference that South Africa's variable climate was particularly vulnerable to change -- which would hit farming in Africa's biggest economy.
"Increased droughts in combination with higher temperatures could have a serious impact on the availability of food ... the impact of drought extends beyond food shortages and negatively affects national economies," she said.
Didiza said much of South Africa's western area might become unsuitable for growing maize -- a regional food staple -- if rainfall and soil moisture decreased. She gave no details.
A regional drought coupled with a raging AIDS pandemic has already led to food shortages in many parts of Southern Africa, with aid agencies warning that up to 12 million people may need food aid before the next harvest in April 2006.
Parts of South Africa have been affected, but not nearly as seriously.
Sonjica said the research by South Africa's Water Research Commission -- which has yet to be released -- suggested that water surface runoff in many parts of the country was likely to decrease, leading to reduced flow in rivers.
This would in turn require changes to the way dams were operated and rivers shared with neighbouring states, she added.
Research indicated that a drying trend in the Western Cape would continue, making the region a "climate change hotspot" requiring attention from water managers in the near future.
Interior regions of the country were likely to warm more than coastal areas, while rainfall in the eastern half of the country may actually increase, Sonjica said.
Earlier in the day deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told the conference that environmental concerns were an additional challenge faced by the government as it tries to boost growth enough to reduce steep unemployment and poverty.
"These are challenges that no one nation can handle and no nation must ignore ... we are now calling for desperate measures as these are desperate times," she said.
South Africa's environmental policies are progressive for a developing country, but as the continent's biggest economy it is also Africa's main consumer of the fossil fuels that scientists associate with rapid climate change.
Story by Mariam Isa
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
