With several of the dams in the Western Cape nearing overflow capacity, and the sluice gates of the Berg River Dam in the Boland recently having been opened to drop its level that stood at 102%, the Western Cape is heading for a bumper winter grain crop.
This is according to Johan van den Berg, meteorologist at Santam Agriculture.
And with more rain predicted for August and September, the harvest for this winter season seemed secured, he said.
The main reason for the drought-breaking downpours across large parts of the province, Van den Berg said, was because of a weakening in the El Niño weather phenomenon and the extreme parched conditions to which it leads.
However, because you can’t have your cake and eat it, cold and wet winter conditions are expected well into August and September for the entire country, but predominantly for the Western Cape and west-lying regions of its adjoining provinces.
