This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2021)
The Eastern Cape region of South Africa experienced a severe multi-year drought from 2015 through early 2020.[1][2] The drought was one of the worst in the region's history and led the South African government to declare the region a "disaster area" in October 2019.[3]
A local hydrologist, Gideon Groenewald, has stated that it could be the worst drought the area as experienced in one thousand years[4][5] and has had serious negative socioeconomic impacts on the region.[6] Heavy rains in 2019 were not enough to break the drought.[7][8] Reasons cited for the severity of the drought include poor water management by local government, unpredictable rainfall patterns,[9] and vandalism of local infrastructure.[10] Areas of the Eastern Cape that overlap with the Karoo, such as the area around Graaff-Reinet, have been especially badly hit.[11][12] The drought has caused projected financial losses of R6.4 billion in livestock production, with extensive livestock areas accounting for some 5,600 jobs.[13] The drought started to take place at the same time as the Cape Town water crisis.
^"Eastern Cape hardest hit by drought". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^Archer, Emma; du Toit, Justin; Engelbrecht, Christien; Hoffman, M. Timm; Landman, Willem; Malherbe, Johan; Stern, Maryke (2022-01-01). "The 2015-19 multi year drought in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: it's evolution and impacts on agriculture". Journal of Arid Environments. 196: 104630. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104630. hdl:2263/82898. ISSN 0140-1963.
^Miller, Andrew (2019-10-31). "South Africa Suffers Worst Drought in 1,000 Years". theTrumpet.com. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^Ellis, Estelle (9 October 2019). "Maverick Citizen: Drought: Eastern Cape: 'The worst drought in a thousand years'". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^Bernardo, Carla (6 March 2020). "Eastern Cape spring is getting drier – here's why". University of Cape Town.
^"Drought crisis in Eastern Cape not over despite heavy rains". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^"Not enough rain yet to fill dams, says expert". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^"The real water crisis: Not understanding what's needed". The Mail & Guardian. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^"Eastern Cape drought: Vandals make matters worse for water-starved Graaff-Reinet residents". News24. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^Ellis, Estelle (10 February 2020). "Maverick Citizen: Eastern Cape drought: Graaff-Reinet celebrates as Nqweba Dam fills up". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^"Eastern Cape remains in grip of drought". SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^"EASTERN CAPE STATUS OF DROUGHT, ITS EFFECTS AND STATE OF READINESS FOR CROPPING" (PDF). Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform. November 2019.
and 22 Related for: Eastern Cape drought information
The EasternCape region of South Africa experienced a severe multi-year drought from 2015 through early 2020. The drought was one of the worst in the...
crisis occurred at the same time as the EasternCapedrought, located in a separate region nearby. The City of Cape Town implemented significant water restrictions...
The EasternCape (Xhosa: iMpuma-Kapa; Afrikaans: Oos-Kaap [ˈuəs.kɑːp]) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two...
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.: 1157 A drought can last for days, months or years. Drought often has large impacts on the ecosystems...
crisis occurred at the same time as the EasternCapedrought, located in a separate region nearby. The City of Cape Town implemented significant water restrictions...
unsustainble demand and limited water supply could result in future drought events. Cape Town International Airport serves both domestic and international...
Indian Ocean). It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the EasternCape. The total land area of the province is 129,462 square...
referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the EasternCape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan...
dryer southern Cape. Here it occurs from the Little Karoo of the Western Cape, eastwards up until the thicket vegetation of the EasternCape. Spekboom is...
Kingdom and the British Empire as well as Trekboers in what is now the EasternCape in South Africa. These events were the longest-running military resistance...
archipelago of Cape Verde has been struck by a series of drought-related famines between the 1580s and the 1950s. During these periods of drought and famine...
coastal regions, particularly KwaZulu Natal Province and perhaps the EasternCape. Cold and warm coastal currents running north-west and north-east respectively...
humanitarian assistance because of the effects of drought. There are a variety of different ways drought in Lesotho has led to the need for humanitarian...
In Australia, the Federation Drought is the name given to a prolonged period of drought that occurred around the time of Federation in 1901. Though often...
little relief during the droughts. In 1758 the Grão Pará and Maranhão Company was granted a 20-year monopoly on all trade in Cape Verde and the West African...
spawning grounds south of the southern tip of Africa northward along the EasternCape coastline toward KwaZulu-Natal. They follow a route close inshore, often...
pears, and peaches, are grown primarily in areas of the Western Cape and the EasternCape, where cold winters and dry summers provide ideal conditions for...
concrete. Agapanthus praecox subsp. praecox This subspecies occurs in the EasternCape province of South Africa. It usually grows to between 0.8 and 1 metre...
concerned. In 1980, Eastern Province Command and 6 SAI engaged in Operation Rain, which was support to the Transkei during a regional drought that lasted until...
were by now considerably hampered by drought. In desperation, the British called in Stockenstrom and the local Cape Burgher forces whose fast-moving commandos...
Proclamation). Gola's Xhosa community settles at Pramberg. A severe drought occurs in the eastern frontier area. More Xhosa clans push westward into the neutral...
Global Information