Did the rain break Cape Town's drought? Yes and no

Cape Town experienced a deluge this week, and will likely see more heavy storms on Wednesday.

Such short-term weather events quell the fear of drought, but experts warn that climate change is taking its toll, and Cape Town must brace for challenging times ahead.

This time last year, dam levels in Cape Town measured 23.4%. This week, the levels stand at 46.7%.

However, a focus on rainfall for May this year compared with the long-term average shows the longer-term crisis at play. Last month Steenbras dam had about 40mm of rain for the month, yet the long-term average is 114mm. Wynberg had about 84mm, yet the long-term average is 147mm, and in Theewaterskloof it was 31mm compared with the long-term average of 43mm.

Ecology expert Bob Scholes, a professor at Wits University, said the "climatological drought" is over by the virtue of the rainfall. However, it will "return in the future, probably more frequently and at greater intensity as a result of shifts of the global circulation patterns induced by climate change".

And the "hydrological drought" is far from over. This is defined by "water availability in the soil, dams and rivers" and, according to Scholes, "it will take several years of average or better rainfall to refill the soil profiles, aquifers, dams and rivers to their pre-drought condition". In terms of what's called an impact drought, which refers to "vegetation, crops and social systems", Scholes said that "Cape Town will need to get used to the idea that it is in a state of permanent drought. Partly because the climate is changing, but mostly because the demand for water continues to grow."

The City of Cape Town recently launched its draft resilience strategy, which is open for public comment.

The strategy is intended to protect the city against "unforeseen shocks and challenges" in the years ahead, and focuses on the need to create partnerships across the government, business, community organisations, academia and households to achieve this.