Drought

There's another heatwave this week, with temperatures soaring above 35 degrees and no sign of rain. It is predicted that we could be facing the worst drought in 30 years in southern Africa. Yet people continue watering their verges (my pet hate), keeping their lawns green and filling their swimming pools with no thought to the dry months and the limited water supply which is left.

Harare is already an extremely water stressed city with few households receiving municipal water, many relying on boreholes and some buying tanks of expensive supplies. How will we cope with even less? What measures are being put in place now?

For subsistence rural farmers the impending drought spells crop failure and reliance on food aid. Most of urban food comes from South Africa but they face drought too.

We need to wake up from our heat induced stupor and start saving water and thinking about the months ahead.