Animals die of thirst and towns introduce rationing as water crisis continues

By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 November 2005

The water crisis that has gripped the whole country has continued without any serious intervention by the government. There is no doubt that the problem is serious. Talk to Zimbabweans in any part of the country about water and you are sure to get someone angry. Experts say it cannot continue this way and urgent solutions are needed. While the government procrastinates, animals are dying in the National Parks, citizens are going without water for months and waterborne diseases have created a health crisis.

According to the state paper The Herald, the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has so far lost 99 animals at Hwange National Park. The authority’s public relations manager Retired Major Edward Mbewe told journalists on Tuesday during a tour of the park that more than 40 elephant, 53 buffalo, a giraffe, three zebra and two impala succumbed to thirst and black leg, a disease that affects animals when the ground is too dry. He also said his office had sent recommendations to the government seeking authority to cull the elephants from 75 000 to "manageable figures."

Meanwhile, the Namibian government has rejected Zimbabwe’s request to take some of the country’s starving elephants saying it was already facing serious problems with its own jumbos. Our correspondent Warren Moroka reports that Zimbabwean deputy environment minister Andrew Langa had suggested some of the starving elephants in Hwange National Park could be moved to Namibia. But Ben Beytell, the director of the country’s parks and wildlife department, said Namibia was also facing worsening serious water shortages and grazing pasture for its 16 000 strong elephant population. He added that the northern Caprivi Strip was already under siege from elephants escaping hunger and drought in Botswana’s Chobe National Park.

What has not been reported is how Dr. Beytell and Namibian authorities feared receiving Zimbabwe’s animals because they might be diseased. Outbreaks of foot and mouth and anthrax have been common on the Zimbabwe side, and Namibia did not want to take any chances. Zimbabwe’s neighbours are also experiencing water shortages, but they are better prepared and well staffed. They also have the spare parts for pumps and other irrigation equipment. In comparison the Zimbabwe government is literally broke, and animals are the least of their concern.
The parks department needs over Z$500 million to purchase a minimum of five new water engines in order to restore water services in the park.

While the animals suffer, the water crisis has continued to deteriorate in many towns around the country. The Herald reported that some suburbs in Harare and its satellite towns will have water cuts of up to 12 hours in every 48 hours. It says local authorities and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) have agreed to the rotational cuts in order to cope as demand exceeds the maximum supply of 600 million litres a day.
But these are not permanent solutions. An injection of money is what is needed to fix and maintain the infrastructure.