The Meteorology Department has clarified that the cause of negative rainfall indicators has been due to the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) that was allegedly weak at certain times during this year’s rain season.
ITCZ is a belt of low pressure which circles the earth generally near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together.
Director of Meteorology Department Jacob Nkomoki says currently, the ITCZ has established itself over the southern parts of Zambia and is inducing rainfall activities over most parts of the country.
Mr. Nkomoki says out-breaks of rain and thunder is likely to prevail over most parts of the country during the week during this rainfall period.
Mr. Nkomoki said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He said Western, Southern and Lusaka provinces are likely to experience a slight reduction in rainfall while the rest of the seven provinces are likely to receive normal rains.
He said the 2014/2015 rain season has been characterized with negative indicators of late or delayed start in most parts of Zambia, prolonged dry spells in North-western and Eastern provinces respectively.
But the MET department is a useless department. We expected them to inform the nation before the rains not after experiencing the torrential rains. Secondly, when we have had the try spell, they never explained to the nation what to expect
What the MET has done is sorry after death
Poor rainfall was focused in 2014 around March with a lot of talk about a looming El Nino which would impact the continent negatively. Jacob sat on his lapels and told us we’d have a normal season. It’s time we revealed our Agric policy and urge farmers to grow specific regional crops and breeds suiting our different regions to enhance our Food Basket.
@ revealed, Reviewed.
One of the factors that is causing poor rainfall is the rampant charcoal burning and this needs to be addressed quickly before its too late. Our forests which are rainfall catchment areas are being depleted.
on a local scale, charcoal burning does affect levels of rainfall received. The current scenario, i concur with@ Virgin angel, has largely to do with the abnormal warming of the seas(el nino which tends to destabilize pressure patterns andb wind circulations. We had strong dry South Easterly winds which tended to repel North Easterly and Moist Congo winds. The cyclones in the Mozambique channel also had an impact on the amounts of rainfall received. It seems our Met Dept went to sleep otherwise with the alarms sounded last year they ought have alerted the concerned stake holders, limbi nabakota BaNkomoki, selako twingile!
The mediocrity of our Weather people is also reflected through rushed weather reports on TV which are barely 30 seconds.Even if ZNBC is charging you, give us adequate reports!