Authorities across South Africa’s (SA) Gauteng province are on high alert following severe weather warnings of an impending mid-week heatwave expected to affect Johannesburg and Pretoria this Wednesday and Thursday.
The SA Weather Service announced that temperatures will soar to maximums of 36°C across several regions of the province, prompting City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi to issue an urgent advisory warning residents working directly in the sunlight to take regular breaks to prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke, while pleading with parents to monitor young children near dams and river streams to avoid drowning incidents.
Emergency management officials have also warned of increased pressure on local municipal water infrastructure, urging residents to implement strict water conservation measures and avoid non-essential usage as high consumption levels threaten reservoir capacity during the peak heating period.
–SABC–
