Mr Khan says that the effect has not only been to wipe out this year's crops, but because of damage to the irrigationnetwork, next season's crops will be lost too.
Located 55km north of Graaff-Reinet along a gravel road through the Sneeuberg (Snow Mountains), the remote village of Nieu Bethesda has a spring-fed network of irrigation channels, giving it the appearance of a green oasis.