Looking Back With Zimpapers Knowledge Centre

Rains needed to avert regional disaster, drought

The Herald, December 23, 1994
PROLONGED soaking rain is needed over Southern Africa for the next two months to avert a disastrous regional drought, and the outlook until mid-January remains bleak for everywhere south of Harare, the Regional Early Warning Unit reports.

National drought warnings have already come from South Africa, Mozambique, most of Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and southern Zambia.

The temperate rains from the south that initiate the season in much of Southern Africa failed for unknown reasons and the effects of the El Nino Southern Oscillation kept the tropical storms of the Intertropical Convergence Zone to the north of the region, Ziana-Reuter reported from Johannesburg yesterday in an interview with the deputy director of the climatology research group at Witwatersrand University, Dr Simon Mason.

The regional Drought Monitoring Centre said the early warning unit in a special statement yesterday, had reported that the outlook for the remainder of this month and the early part of next month was bleak for areas below the 18-17 parallel, roughly the latitude for Harare.

Light and patchy rain, punctuated by longer dry periods was expected to dominate the south of the region.

However, areas to the north were expected to have better chances of more rain.

The unit, in a special report for mid-December issued yesterday, said that in Lesotho, prolonged dry conditions were already severe enough to cause serious reduction in the summer cereal harvests. The Lesotho government has already declared a water emergency, agency reports said yesterday.

Maize harvest prospects in Botswana, Malawi, central and southern Mozambique, South Africa, southern Zambia and Zimbabwe should now be considered no better than, and probably below normal.

The current cropping season continues to be divided into two distinct patterns. Although rain had been received during the first half of December in some areas, most countries continued to experience generally dry conditions.

Significant rainfall deficits already exist in Botswana, except for the north, Lesotho, Malawi, central and southern Mozambique, Namibia, except the far north, South Africa, southern Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In an interview with Ziana-Reuter, Mr Willem Landman of the long-term forecasting project of the South African weather service in Pretoria, said a substantial area of South Africa had received less than a quarter of its normal rainfall.

The El-Nino Southern Oscillation that produced the worst regional drought of the century in 1992 was persisting. Rains during the first half of December had brought relief to many farmers in Zimbabwe. The showers remained light and patchy and failed to induce an upsurge in planting.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The script of the current rainfall pattern is no different from that of 1994, and poses further food insecurity. This also has serious repercussions on national security, over and above the current economic challenges. Thus rain is needed now, to avert disaster.

An unnamed Government official told a United Nations envoy last month that “food security is national security”. There should practical strategies to deal with risks from such a scenario.

The ravages brought about by climate change call for innovative ways of attaining food security. Zimbabwe should invest heavily in irrigation, considering that there are many water bodies lying idle.

 

For historical information contact: Zimpapers Knowledge Centre at Herald House on: +263 8677 004323; +263 0242 795771.

E-mail: [email protected]

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey