Drought in the Seychelles causes concern

The Meteorological Department explained this to be a forecast for the coming months. Senior technician for the Seychelles Meteorological Department, Marcel Belmont, said there is a possibility that the country may receive less rainfall in the coming months than is normally the case.
It would be advisable to start saving water from now on, especially as the weather conditions have been unfavourable in the last few months. September was the second driest month this year. We should act now and whenever possible to avoid a crisis in the near future.

Mr Belmont said in the coming months, weather conditions could be similar to September when we had only 14.7 millimetres of rain. He said the probability of below normal to near normal rainfall is about 50% to 60% between October and December 2017.

Mr Belmont explained that the climate phenomenon known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has three states: the two opposing phases, El Niño and La Niña, and a "Neutral" phase that is in the middle of the continuum. We are now gradually leaving the neutral phase and moving towards the La Niña phase, which brings less rain. It is a phenomenon where the sea surface temperature in the central Pacific Ocean plays a major role in climate worldwide. With warm sea surface temperatures over the central Pacific, there is also a corresponding warming in parts of the Indian Ocean. This could be one of the reasons why we are getting less than normal rainfall for the time being.

Talking about water conservation, he said the public should conserve water and avoid wastage. "As there are uncertainties in the coming weeks or months, it is advisable to use water properly and conserve it. Avoid wasting water, try and conserve it if possible. We should take immediate action."