Information about climate variability exists in the form of short, medium and long term forecasts, yet its use by water resource managers appears to be limited. Given the existing pressure on water resources in South Africa and the potential for water resources to become more stressed with climate change impacts, such as increased temperatures and change in precipitation regimes and increased population pressure, it is imperative to use available information as best as possible.
The C4W (climate for water) project has explored how information about climate variability is currently used, and the potential opportunities for using it more effectively in the future. All the collected data has been analysed and the information used to develop a toolkit for guiding water resource managers (and others) towards the most applicable information. This website forms part of that toolkit that will help to guide water resource managers through a process of selecting useful and applicable weather and climate information in line with their specific needs. It will also be useful for educating other stakeholders (such as farmers and local authorities) about climate variability information and its potential applications and limitations.
We encourage users to explore and test the website and the information and links provided. We would welcome feedback and any constructive criticism (or praise). You will be asked to register so that we can monitor the use and trends in order to make further improvements. The toolkit will be further refined so that it can be used as the basis for developing a system of climate variability information delivery. The information system will entail the dissemination of specific climate data and products, either through the web or email, depending on what emerges from earlier results. The system intends to have feedback systems, so that managers' requirements are constantly communicated to climate information producers.
In this way, we hope to make useful climate and weather information more accessible and useful to all who can benefit from that access. We wish to thank all those who participated in surveys, general meetings and focus groups. Your assistance has been invaluable.