Climate change expert Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi has warned that extreme weather events in South Africa are likely to be more frequent and intense because of global warming.
He was reacting to the latest flooding in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Professor Mabhaudhi says there are concerns that a lot of people remain vulnerable from the latest flooding in KZN – despite the situation not being as bad as last month.
VIDEO | KZN on red level 10 warning, as authorities brace for more floods:
More than 400 people died in last month’s flooding in the province that hit eThekwini particularly hard.
Parts of the Metro including uMdlati, have again suffered massive damage.
Mabhaudhi says the country faces major challenges. “The frequency and intensity of weather extremes is likely to increase due to climate change, and of course we’re seeing these floods that are happening again this weekend, and whilst the impact has not been at the scale of what we saw, the risk profile is what has really escalated this situation. Hence the level 10 warning issued by the South African Weather Service.”
Late last week KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala held a media briefing warning about the recent flood threat facing the province. With the province still rebuilding from last month’s floods, emergency services will have their work cut-out. Parts of the province remain on high alert as more rains are anticipated.
