CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Heavy rain over the last 24 hours has blocked roads and disrupted traffic in South Africa’s drought-hit Cape Town, city officials said on Thursday.
The first winter downpour will slightly replenish dams dried by the region’s worst drought in a century, a dry spell that has scorched farms and hit the tourism sector.
South Africa has declared a national disaster over the drought affecting the southern and western regions which had two of the driest years ever recorded in 2015 and 2016.
Cape Town authorities warned that taps in the port city of 4 million could run dry this year.
“There has been a lot of flooding in urban areas across the metro and a lot of roadways have been affected,” said Charlotte Powell, spokeswoman for Cape Town’s disaster management center.
“Flooding is a known risk to the city,” Powell said.
Forecaster Thabisile Ntleko said a few showers were expected later on Thursday before clearing ahead of a weak cold front on Friday evening and more rain.
We don’t see too much rain,” she said adding that up to 5 millimeters was expected.
The city is encouraging its residents to continue saving water amid drought restrictions that limits daily consumption per person to 50 liters a day.
Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by James Macharia and Matthew Mpoke Bigg