Dry season expected till mid-November

RETHABILE MOHONO

MASERU – The dry season is expected till mid-November this year.

Minister of Energy and Meteorology, Tsukutlane Au, announced this during a press conference today, which was meant to inform the public on the weather pattern to be expected for the next six months.

Au indicated that the gathering was an annual event to give Basotho advice on what to expect for panning purposes, especially in sectors such as agriculture and dam construction.

“This is the right time for this gathering because it is the beginning of the year, according to Basotho’s calendar, when Basotho start to plough their fields. We give this information to advise the nation on how Basotho can use water,” he said, adding that this initiative comes after the one carried out by the SADC region.

“The information comes from the regional level then, we come back to break it down just for Lesotho,” he noted further.

Lately, due to climate change, the region continues to experience shortage of rain and the dry spell will continue until next month but around the middle of November and December we expect light rain, so people should be careful while using water’.

More rain is expected from January till March.

Lesotho Meteorological Services’ Principal Meteorologist Mathabo Mahahamisa told the gathering what to expect in six months to come.

“This happens after SADC seasonal forecast which focuses on the general weather of the Southern region.

“Now this is the time where we try to analyze our country to also see the accuracy of the SADC seasonal forecast,” she said.

She further indicated that 2019 is one of the warmest years on record, like 2016.

“In the previous 10 years there have been more dry seasons than rainy ones so it’s now time to change, especially when it comes to agriculture and try new, advanced agricultural ways,” she said.