The catchment area is being increased by the creation of a pair of reservoirs, the first of which, due to be finished next year, will mean the rainfall-catchment acreage will extend to two-thirds of the island's total land area.

ECONOMIST: Every drop counts | The

And meteorologists say the heavy rainfall across the South could mean weeks more of high water.

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Covering "vast areas" in concrete could also mean rivers bursting their banks after heavy rainfall because water will run off the land more quickly he said.

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