South Africans are currently getting a fast and harsh lesson regarding water, water use and what happens when you do not look after your water resources, complements of the worst drought the country has experienced in 34 years.
The effects of the devastating drought are visible everywhere; livestock is dying in droves and those that are not dying are under-weight from lack of feed; thousands of farmworkers are being laid off as province after province are declared drought disaster areas in a country that already has a very high unemployment rate.
Industrial agriculture accounts for more than 650,000 jobs according to Statistics SA, and small and subsistence farms employ at least another 1,5 million.
Agronomists from GrainSA, a national farm association, project that between 30 to 40% of the country’s 12 million-metric-ton corn crop will fail this year, and that is a disaster of epic proportions. Where South Africa normally exports grain to southern African nations, it will have to import somewhere in the region of 3 million to 5 million metric tons this year. Food process are expected to increase somewhere in the region of 25% by year-end.
Every week that passes without rain brings South Africa one step closer to what is looking like becoming the most significant crop disaster in its history. Coupled with the fact that many farms are basically only working a few days a week which means that the labourers are getting paid less and the fact that the lack of rain has also basically killed subsistence gardens that the poor in the country’s informal settlements rely on for their main source of food, means that people are becoming desperate for not only drinking water and water for growing and personal hygiene, but also for food and this can lead to higher crime rates.
Water is the most important thing on this planet – nothing can grow or survive without it, including the human body, so make sure that you save and savour every single drop and do not waste any. Use water sparingly, re-use and recycle where you can, fix any leaks, and if you see anyone wasting water teach them why they should not do so.
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