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GOT WATER?

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THE past year has been a devastating time for the SADC region at large due to the drought that has plagued the region. With no clear indication of when the drought will really end, what contingencies are our governments adopting to try and alleviate the damage the drought has caused?


If you are like me, I was very uninterested about issues regarding global warming and any other climate change issues that were brought up.
We all seem to have this apathy towards the whole thought of global warming and changing weather patterns. Maybe we all treat it as this far off animal that only affects distant people in faraway lands, the same way some people treat HIV/AIDS.
Here’s what the drought has done thus far across the region: In Zimbabwe, Save the Children UK said children were already dying due to complications related to malnutrition. The number of under-fives who have died of hunger-related causes in Binga town has reached 200 over the past 18 months, which triples the usual rate. UN World Food Programme said one in three Zimbabweans could not meet their needs.


Mothers have started foraging for wild berries and roots to feed their children. In Namibia, beverage giant Coca-Cola decided to stop producing all canned drinks and rather import them from South Africa.
The company has two plants in the country and employs 815 people. And we are all clear about what is happening in Swaziland with some dams being at nine per cent capacity. I could continue but you get the idea, I’ve illustrated why this drought is an emergency. It is an actual crisis all round, to be honest. It’s not even clear when rain will eventually come but it needs to be as soon as possible.


As I’ve mentioned, I think we have never really cared about global warming and I genuinely think it’s due to lack of education on the matter. Partly, it seems issues of climate change and conservation are kept for a certain group of people.
The populace needs to be sensitised about how to mitigate the effects of the drought and issues of climate change. Surely, all the money can’t be going to rhinos.
A friend of mine actually said; “Future generations will have to deal with it,” and it made me realise that we think the issues of climate change or conservation don’t concern us as we are just passing through, the ‘damage is done, so I guess I’ll be leaving’, it is a highly flawed notion, riddled with nonsensical selfishness. We are still living on this planet, so just being more aware of the issues is all it takes. I also don’t know if I’ll be purchasing a Prius in order to reduce my carbon footprint, but I know I’m paying attention now.


But at this point it’s just about being more conscious about how we use water, report leakages and broken toilets.
The drought has proven that water is even more important to our lives than we ever imagined, if you didn’t know, now you do.

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