El Niño-Induced Water Crisis Drubbing Villagers in Zimbabwe — Global Issues
MUDZI, Zimbabwe, Sep 09 (IPS) – Together with other men in the area, Enia Tambo uses a 25-litre white plastic bucket to dig sand dunes in the Vhombozi River, Mudzi district in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland East region. .
A woman, in her late 50s, digs to reach water deep underground.
Drought caused by El Niño is affecting the countryside, located about 230 kilometers east of Harare, the nation’s capital, so that access to water is a daily battle.
Tambo, wearing a yellow t-shirt with the image of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, had a red, white, black and yellow cloth tied around his waist with a white headband to protect him from the sun when he joined the group. a group of sweaty young men use shovels to dig a dry well.
A herd of cattle that were obviously parched, and a group of equally parched little boys, waited in the middle of a dry riverbed, hoping to quench their thirst in the scorching heat of this impoverished region of Zimbabwe.
During the worst months of the El Niño-induced drought that is still affecting Zimbabwe, many times, the people of Mudzi village are scrambling to get water from dry streams and wells, including the Vhombozi River.
Due to the drought caused by El Niño, rural people like Tambo have to fend for themselves and their cattle as they struggle to find this precious liquid.
Desperate for this life-saving service, Tambo said they have no choice but to cut it down and compete with their cattle.
“We have a big water challenge, we are asking for help at least from water taps and wells, we don’t have a dam or any working water source. We drink from the same well as our cows, women and men. We get water by digging in the sand of the river to reach the water below,” Tambo, 59, from Mudzi village in Nyamudandara, told IPS.
No Boreholes, No Faucets, Add to Load
It’s fine, but it causes problems for many people in rural areas who are in need. When they build them in the river, they have to struggle to walk long distances carrying buckets on their heads to their homes.
Batanai Mutasa, an expert on climate change who doubles as the head of communications for the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, blamed the burning for the rotting of rivers, dams and wells.
“The heat of El Nino is what is responsible for the drying up of boreholes and rivers. Climate change that causes floods, extreme heat and poor rainfall also causes food shortages,” Mutasa told IPS.
Reena Ghelani, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and El Niño Response Coordinator for Climate Disasters, noted after her recent visit to South Africa that the April/May harvest failed, resulting in more than 20 million people facing food shortages, and more than -20 million. one million children at risk of malnutrition.
“Despite these challenges, governments and regional agencies have strengthened their hand, and our partners have supported their efforts, including emergency allocations from the Central Emergency Response Fund (OCHA Financing and Partnerships) and insurance payments (through the African Risk Capacity (ARC). ) But a lot still needs to be done,” said Ghelani
In April this year, Elias Magosi, who is the secretary general of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), made history in the media complaining about the poor rains in the entire region.
“The rainy season of 2024 has been a challenge, many areas of the region have experienced the negative effects of El Niño which can be seen in the late arrival of rain,” said Magosi.
According to the SADC structure, about 68 million people across the region, including Zimbabwe, where many like Tambo live in poor villages like Nyamudandara in Mudzi, are suffering from the effects of drought caused by El Niño.
Child Labor, Sexual Exploitation Increases
In such impoverished areas of Zimbabwe, even young children have dropped out of school as they help their parents and carers to get precious liquids in the face of severe drought.
Some women say they face sexual harassment by powerful village men who control the only sources of water, while women say they are forced to trade sex for water.
“Men want sex from us before they allow us to fetch water and our children have dropped out of school to help us fetch water every day,” a Mudzi woman who declined to give her name for fear of harassment told IPS.
However, the headache of water problems is an old problem in Zimbabwe’s remote districts like Mudzi, according to residents like 52-year-old Collen Nyakusawuka who hails from Mudzi village in Nyamudandara.
But the residents have tried many times to seek help from the government authorities.
“This water problem for us in this village started in 1980 until now we are still suffering without water, sometimes we file our complaints with the authorities without getting help from them,” said Nyakusasuka.
Residents of Nyamudandara village in Mudzi such as Freddy Nyamudandara who is 30 years of age say that the water problem has gotten out of hand and many of them are unable to cope with it.
“We have a big water challenge, which has become worse this year. We need help with our water and our cattle because we don’t have a dam and the available boreholes are not working well,” Nyamudandara told IPS.
Borehole promises have not been fulfilled
In Mudzi district, Kudzai Madamombe, Medical District Officer says President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has promised to dig boreholes to help the citizens who are starved of water, he said, “President Mnangagwa came with the President’s plan to bomb the boreholes he said he would bomb. 70 boreholes for Mudzi people.”
But so far, the public has not benefited from the government’s plan.
In its effort to stop the ongoing water crisis in remote areas of Zimbabwe such as Mudzi, UNICEF has also intervened.
Progress Katete, a UNICEF Nutritional Officer, said her organization has requested more than USD 84 million to deal with the problem of drought that has devastated districts like Mudzi.
“UNICEF has been supporting the government by digging boreholes and installing water pipes because as you can see some communities—women and men in the community—walk long distances to fetch water. and sometimes it’s not even safe water. In some cases, children who attend school miss school because they have to fetch water for the family,” Katete told IPS.
The councilor for Ward 17 in Mudzi district, Kingston Shero, mentioned that there is not enough money for each village to get pits. “Due to the lack of resources, few villages have been able to get help from the council with boreholes.
The El Niño event, which has fueled global warming and severe weather around the world, is expected to return to La Niña later this year, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Ghelani said the region should receive normal to above-average rains in October–December, which could improve planting time and help with recovery but could also lead to food shortages—especially in dry areas—and pest infestations. And without adequate support, families who have sold their livestock and property will not be able to sustain themselves.
In an appeal for funding, he said: “We must provide support now to save lives and reduce suffering, rather than waiting for this crisis to escalate.”
For Tambo, until the rains return, his daily grind will involve digging the river and hoping to find enough water to drink for himself and his family.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
