1.8 billion people live without water by 2025

By Maybin Katungulu

We have heard this phrase "Water is Life"several occasions but I do not think that we have time a moment of reflection over it as individuals ,governments, traditional leaders and all other stake-holders.

Certainly, it sounds like any other slogan and without  serious meaning in our lives yet it reminds us that no human being including other creatures can survive without this wonderful natural resource, water.

In my country Zambia, we have witnessed water body depletion as a result of  human activities such as indiscriminate cutting of trees, unsustainable method of agriculture and failure to follow existing laws on exploitation of natural resources  yet we watch as if nothing was wrong.

I have no doubt many of us perhaps have had realised the importance of water when the country began to experience power deficit which had been attributed to the low water levels in the Kariba Dam.

 As Zambia joins the rest of the world in commemorating 2017 water day I find it necessary to reflect on the statement below as issued by UNCCD:

 By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.  In the meanwhile, we continuously waste precious natural resources like land and water.
A number of statistics indicate that we are wasting our natural capital at an accelerating pace. Poorly-managed natural capital is not only an ecological liability but also a social and economic threat.

The over exploitation of natural capital can be disastrous, and not just in terms of land degradation and water scarcity. The loss of ecosystem productivity and resilience makes many regions more prone to extreme weather events such as floods, landslides and droughts.

Drought and water scarcity are considered to be the most far-reaching of all natural disasters, causing short and long-term economic and ecological losses as well as significant secondary and tertiary impacts. In the coming decades, drought is projected to increase in frequency, severity, duration and spatial extent. More and more people will suffer, and even fight, because of water scarcity.

This year, the World Water Day sends a message to everyone for taking action on reducing and reusing wastewater under the theme, “Why waste water?”
Think about this. Collectively, women from Sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water. How much water do you waste a day? Why waste water?

Over 4-milion people in Zambia lack access to safe and clean water

 By Maybin Katungulu
 
Access to safe and clean water still remains a major challenge across Africa.
According to the United Nations,   about 300 million citizens of the continent’s 800 million people lack access to this basic commodity.

This situation has continued to lead to millions of people dying unnecessarily from water-borne diseases.

In Zambia, it is estimated that over 4 million people out of the country’s 16 million citizens lack access to safe and clean water.
Water aid Zambia country coordinator Ms Pamela Chisanga explains that most of the affected citizens, are those living in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.

“Items of provision of safe drinking water, Zambia still faces the challenge as over four million people lack access to it. The majority of these citizens are these living in rural and peri-urban areas of the country”, says Ms Chisanga.

Meanwhile, the 2013-2014 Zambia Demographic Health Survey confirms that access to water and sanitation are still in a critical state, especially in the rural parts of the country.

The survey indicates that though 65 percent of households in urban areas obtain drinking water from an improved source, 90 percent of households versus 47 percent in rural areas face problems.
 
Water aid Zambia has attributed the prevailing situation to lack of priority and inadequate budgetary allocation towards improving water and sanitation.
  
Ms.  Chisanga notes that there is no proper infrastructure in place to deliver water and sanitation services to rural parts of the country.

Studies by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund indicates that 783 million people struggle to access clean and safe water globally, with 37 percent of the people living in Sub-Saharan Africa where Zambia is located.

Now, Zambia will on 11^th August this year holds its general elections alongside the referendum to repel article 79 of the country’s constitution.

The article houses the bill of rights which contains fundamental rights such as access to water and sanitation services.

In the same vein Human Rights Commission says lack of   adequate water and sanitation compromises the well-being and dignity of citizens.

Speaking to this Journalist, Commission’s Chief Information, Education and Training officer, Mwelwa Muleya expressed hope that access to safe water and sanitation will be included in the bill of rights so that the Zambian government can be held to account if services are not delivered to its citizens.

  

Mr. Muleya explains that it should be understood that safe water and good sanitation supports other fundamental rights such as the right to life.

Namibia hosts Africa Drought Conference

Africa Drought Conference 15-19 August, Windhoek, Namibia

​ The government of Namibia is hosting an African Drought Conference which will take place at the Windhoek Country Club Resort from 15-19 August 2016.

The conference is one of the distinct outcomes of the Namibia Declaration adopted at the UNCCD COP 11/Decision 36 which emphasized a stronger UNCCD for land degradation neutrality with increasing focus on mitigating the impacts of droughts and the development of national drought policies.

 The conference will involve a technical segment scheduled for 15 to 17 August and a high level segment from 18 to 19 August, involving responsible Ministers from all over Africa.
The UNCCD is involved as a co-organizer of the conference.

It is providing technical and financial support and promotional activities to the organization of the conference.

LOW CARBON ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA LAUNCHED

By Robert Muthami and Isaiah Esipisu

African Civil Society Organisations, on the sidelines of the ongoing 27^th African Union and Governments Summit in Kigali-Rwanda have launched an energy advocacy initiative dubbed the “The Big Shift” aimed at enhancing energy access among millions of African Energy poor.

The Initiative is in line with the African Coalition for Sustainable Energy and Access (ACSEA) launched during of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), and spearheaded by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

“African States continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels that are becoming more and more expensive for governments and households as prices are skyrocketing,” said Benson Ireri, the Senior Policy Advisor at the Christian Aid.

He noted that 70 percent of the African population still does not have access to modern clean energy services that are efficient, reliable.

According to Mithika Mwenda, the Secretary General for PACJA, there are two global crises in the energy sector which often seem to have contradictory solutions. “The urgency of tackling climate change through a rapid global shift to low-carbon energy is one of the issues, and the secondly is the fact that more than two billion people continue to live in poverty because they have little or no access to clean and reliable energy,” he said.

And now, through a shift of investment away from centralized fossil fuel based energy towards diverse renewable energy sources, the CSOs believe that it is possible to deliver clean energy to developing countries, helping them overcome energy poverty in a way that will not lead to further devastating levels of global warming.

However, the CSO representatives said that, the shift will require a great political goodwill and a massive shift in energy investment strategies across the globe.

Over the next three years, the Big Shift campaign targets to build an international advocacy movement, supported by clear national and regional evidence from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. This is to ensure that the tens of trillions of dollars available for energy infrastructure projects are directed towards low-carbon renewable energy. This will allow the world’s poorest countries to pursue development agendas which will not have dangerous implications for the climate.

So far, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has launched an initiative known as Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), which aims to produce 300 gigawatts (GW) of electricity for the continent by 2030.

The bank also has another initiative known as ‘The New Deal on Energy for Africa,’ which charts the way for a transformative partnership on energy focuses on mobilizing support and funding for the initiative from five key areas.

This is among many other many energy deals targeting Africa, such as the Obama Power Africa Initiative, and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4A).

The ‘Big Shift’ will therefore track the implementation of investment under these energy initiatives.

“We need other civil society organisations to join the Big Shift initiative and demand for investment in the energy sector to be moved from fossil fuel to renewable or low carbon energy,” said Mithika Mwenda.

The initiative was launched with support from PACJA, Christian Aid and Action for Environment and Sustainable Development Network (AESDN).

Improve early warning alerts for farmers-Zambia Episcopal Conference

By Maybin Augustine Katungulu

 

The Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has called on government to improve early warning alerts for farmers.

ZEC President Archbishop Mpundu explains that in view of droughts the country has been experiencing there is need to improve early warning alerts.

Archbishop Mpundu explains that doing so will grantee food and nutrition security for Zambia.

In his communiqué to the Media at the just ended LAUDATO SI Conference the Archbishop also recommended for water harvest promotion and farmers.

" we feel as the  Church government should also look at other alternative sources of energy rather than depending on hydro electricity.  We all know that load shedding and high electricity tariffs have caused a lot of misery among the majority poor Zambians who cannot afford the commodity. This situation has even led to increased deforestation  as a result of charcoal burning".

The Catholic Church in Zambia from Monday 25th and Tuesday 26^th April 2016  held a conference  in Lusaka with the theme; care of our common home, in the context of large scale mining and Agriculture.

The conference was aimed at understanding Encyclical on creation and environment which was issued by Pope Francis last year

His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace explained to the delegates that the planet is an artistic act of God that has been given to human beings as a gift.

Cardinal Turkson also explained that Pope Francis in the Encyclical is recommending people to have a spiritual listening to what has happen to the earth.

There is need to practice environmentally friendly mining and agriculture-Catholic Church

"The Catholic Church in Zambia calls for responsible and environmentally friendly large scale mining mining and agriculture".

By Maybin Augustine Katungulu

The Catholic Church in Zambia has called on for prudence usage and exploitation of natural resources.

Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) President Archbishop George Mpundu says there is need for wise and sustainable management of resources in order to reduce poverty in the country.

Archbishop Mpundu also expressed concern about environmental impact of large scale mining and agriculture.

The ZEC President was speaking in Lusaka on Tuesday 26^th April 2016 during a communiqué to the media at the end of a 2-day Laudato SI Conference on care for  our  common home, in the context of large scale mining and agriculture

Meanwhile the Catholic Church has challenged the mining sector to practice responsible mining which take care of the environment and affected communities.

His Grace George Mpundu who is also Archbishop of Lusaka stated that there is need for mining companies to put measures to reclaim land used for extracting minerals.

According to information obtained by Desire Media Concepts (DMC), mining activities have been causing environmental challenges to communities in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia

Mrs. Bernadette Malamba, a community member in the mining province confirmed to our staffer Maybin Augustine Katungulu that the mining industries are polluting rivers and the environment in general.

Mrs. Malamba who is also Caritas-Zambia member in Ndola lamented that open pit mines are greatly affecting the community adding that they have become death traps

Pope Francis last year issued LAUDATO SI, Encyclical on creation and environment: care for our common home.

And His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace was in Lusaka at the 2-day Conference to explain the document.

Cardinal Turkson told the conference which was attended by the Zambian Catholic Bishops and the lay faith  across the country that Pope Francis in the  Encyclical is recommending people to have a spiritual listening to what has happen to the earth.

His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace explained to the delegates that the planet is an artistic creation   of God that has been given to the human race as a gift.

The high profiled LAUDATO SI, Encyclical  conference was organized by Caritas-Zambia in partnership with Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection.