The claims were sparked by a YouTube video showing a long stretch of bare cliff-face at Livingstone, on the Zambian side of the world's largest waterfall, in which a woman says she is praying for rain.
JOHANNESBURG - As Southern Africa battles one of its worst droughts in decades, numerous media reports have stoked fears that Victoria Falls, bordering Zimbabwe and Zambia, is running dry.However, the video and subsequent media reports downplayed the seasonal dry period which affects the water flow every year, as well as the fact that the Zimbabwean side of the waterfall has been faring much better.
The Zambezi River Authority shares daily data on flow measurements taken at the Falls, a key station on the river.And while the water flow this November did reach lows not seen since 1995, measurements on 2 December had increased during the week under review, closing at 227 cubic metres per second.Shelley Cox, co-founder of sustainable travel agency Africa Conservation Travel, gave AFP a live tour of Victoria Falls using a WhatsApp video call on 4 December, to show that water was flowing.
"These pictures of the Victoria Falls are a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment and our livelihood," he tweeted in October.A South African study published last year, which looked at 40 years of data from the Zambia Meteorological Department, noted that there had been "a statistical significant change in temperature" in Livingstone.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
IN PICTURES: Preventing Day Zero in the Northern and Eastern CapeTaps in many small towns in the Northern and Eastern Cape have run dry.
Read more »
Abalone drying plant discovered in Cape Town - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.A joint operation between Crime Intelligence and the Cape Town K9 Unit has uncovered an abalone drying facility in Loevenstein.
Read more »
Deutsche vows to restructure without using shareholder fundsCEO Christian Sewing funding overhaul of Germany's leading bank by running a lower capital buffer
Read more »
Newcastle experiences load-shedding for the first time amid Eskom court battleNewcastle residents are no longer having candlelit dinner by choice. Not one of the 55,000 inhabitants of Newcastle West had ever experienced load-shedding until the lights went off without warning on Monday.
Read more »
African chefs’ innovative interpretations of traditional tastesFood | Check out these African chefs’ innovative interpretations of our continent’s traditional tastes:
Read more »