The Water Research Commission (WRC) of South Africa has launched a unique online drought portal that will provide visitors with useful information on the current drought and links to various other drought-related websites. The Drought SA portal will be an ongoing project and will be continuously populated with fresh research and knowledge that will empower visitors.
South Africa is a water-stressed country and is on an economic growth pathway that is very water intensive. This, together with a combination of population growth and change in quality of life, indicates that need to have a lot more water available will increase in the future.
There is a growing realisation that South Africa requires a long-term, national drought policy and strategy to mitigate the risk of future occurrence of drought. In particular, the WRC has identified the need for science-based mechanisms and monitoring that will deliver timely information to decision-makers and so strengthen risk management measures and preparedness plans.