REPORT20

Consecutive Droughts of Africa

Today many people are unaware of the water problems in our society, as well as in our world. Everyday we go through life without recognizing those who do not even have access to clean, running water, and those who are dying from it. We take the fact that we have usable water for granted. In the continent of Africa, many countries are experiencing severe droughts, whose effects are inconvenient and even fatal. Mainly in South Africa,, the Sahel - North Africa and Ethiopia, have experienced depletion in agricultural production, limited rainfall and resulting famines. The effects of these droughts cover a wider range than solely inconvenience and famines, even branching out to unemployment throughout the region.

Northern Africa (especially The Sahel desert) has also experienced such water droughts. During the late twentieth century, rainfall decreased dramatically. Dr Isaac Held of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NAOO), expressed that, “if we compare [the present drought in the Sahel] against the drought in the 1970’s and 80’s, the late 21st century looks like even drier – a 30% reduction in rainfall from the average for the last century.” However, in about 1980, Sahel began to regain its water again, but rainfall to this day has not yet resurfaced to its original levels.

Southern Africa has also been in danger with a growing drought. Other research group from NAOO, led by Marty Hoerling, stated that “Between 1950 and 1999, there has been about a 20% decline in summer rainfall over Southern Africa.” This depletion of water seems to be hitting almost all the countries of Africa. Research has predicted a very dry future in South Africa, while experiments are being preformed to figure out the “physical processes” that determine Sahels rain fall. The common theory that the South Atlantic’s temperature affects the rainfall of Africa, is being proved by Professor Chris Folland from UK Meteorological office. It is thought: if the North Atlantic ocean heats up more water than the oceans in the South do, the rain belt will get moved North over the Sahel region. Therefore, when those Southern waters become more heated, the rain will go south again, resulting in a dry Sahel. Chris Follan created an efficient [|model of Africa’s future]. The model depicts an extremely dry Sahel. Chris Follan states that this image can “connect local detains into global simulations”.

For the past three years, the shortage of water in Africa has greatly affected its people. In many areas of Southern Africa (as well as in other African countries), the rainfall has created serious hunger issues. Infants and children are suffering the most, lacking proper nutrition, vitamins and proteins that are essential for their development. Four year old Godfrey Nchabeleng weighing in at only 16 pounds, lives in a remote area of South Africa with limited food supply (because of the drought) and without clean, running water. These droughts are a catalyst for growing diseases, such as kwashiorkor. Gofrey’s balding symptoms are caused by malnutrition, and were later diagnosed as this disease. Even though many African nations have been enduring the harsh realities of droughts, the effects they have on Southern Africa are geographically much greater than the effects it has on the poorest countries located in the North.

Even Africa’s richest nation – Ethiopia -- has been harshly affected by the deficiency in water supplies. Facing similar problems as South Africa: Amos Shongwe weighs just over seven pounds (the same amount that she weighed at birth). Southern Somalia has been affected the most by the ongoing drought with consecutive dry seasons. Not even enough water for the people, the livestock of Somalia have also died, limiting the food supply. Crops as well, in Somalia, have been dying due to the lack of rainfall. This drought that Southern Somalia is experiencing, could be the worst in decades. Dams are half full, and water levels in some regions have fallen to as low as two percent. This growing problem, with no end in sight will be an even more problematic situation in the years to come.

Even though Americans are one of Africa’s most powerful food producer, as well as Africa’s greatest exporter of grains, relief workers have proposed that approximately more than one tenth of black population within the traditional frontiers of South Africa are diagnosed with malnutrition. Statistics show that 35,000 – 50,000 children die every year due to poor diets in these regions.

As mentioned, the effects and roots of these droughts branch out to all sorts of reasons and events. Mrs. Perlman claims that “it only became news when it hit white commercial farms.” This root explains the way we, as Americans, interpret the suffering conditions of Africa. If in fact the news was delivered to us when “[the drought] hit the white commercial farms,” It can explain why our efforts have not been helping enough to barely heal the nations. This drought has also led to wide ranges of unemployment, sweeping the nations. Mrs. Perlman said, “250,000 wirers were laid off [of farms]” due to the shortage in crops and the unnecessary use of excess farmers.

If we do not do anything to vastly change current events in Africa, it could possibly result in the death of a whole generation. There are things that we can do to help. If we don’t waste water the way we do, more fresh water could be available to the hands of those in desperation.

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