By DAVID KANDUZA –
THE 2015/16 rainy season has come with good rainfall which, like manna from heaven, is a welcome development, considering the fact that for the last two years, the country experienced poor rainfall.
Heavy rainfall is important since Zambia’s agriculture is highly dependent on rain, which will boost agriculture and ultimately improve the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
So far this year, rainfall ranges between 500 and 1,400 mm compared to last year, according to data from the Zambia Meteorological Department.
It is anticipated that this rainy season will leave Zambia’s reservoirs overflowing with water, which will lead to a sound crop harvest.
The good news is that Zambia is blessed with more than 40 per cent of Southern Africa’s water resources in its rivers, lakes and wetlands.
The rivers and lakes are evenly distributed such that there is at least one major water resource in every region.
Zambia received 160 billion cubic metres of rainfall annually in the past decade, but only 60 billion of this is captured each year in lakes and reservoirs, while the rest is washed away.
A Government-led project launched in 2013 and funded by a US$50 million loan from the World Bank was aimed at stopping that waste by revamping the management of Zambia’s water resources more than five years ago.
Zambia, with 40 per cent of the water in Southern Africa, it is time Government and other stakeholders put it to good use considering the fact that climate change is negatively affecting our rain pattern and causing the water table to go down.
Surprisingly, nothing much is being done to use water bodies to advance the development of the country.
If anything, water, which can be used in many sectors of development, is not being tapped.
What is evident is the free flow of water from the source, across the country and into the oceans.
Therefore, there is need for the Government to come up with policies that will regulate the utilisation of water in rivers, dams and other water bodies.
Some years back, there was an irrigation fund that was launched – though it is currently not being talked about – for Zambia to invest in this viable resource.
The irrigation alternative was mooted when the Government piloted winter maize growing when there was maize crop failure.
In fact, currently, there are commercial farmers who have been using the irrigation system to grow maize and other crops.
This is the direction our farmers ought to take instead of complaining about a lack of rain for crop failure.
Apart from feeding our crops with irrigated water, our water bodies, if properly used, can effectively support aquaculture.
This can create a radical shift from overdependence on fish from the lakes and rivers to fish farming.
The Government should design water use development programmes that would ensure water is not wasted or underutilised.
This is the reason why the Government should ensure there are effective policies on the usage of water so that it could work for the good of all Zambians.
With 40 per cent of the Southern African water resources in Zambia, we don’t think it is right for farmers to be complaining about drought.
Rainwater harvesting in Zambia is not a new concept as it has been practised by small-scale farmers in the rural areas.
A scientist and senior lecturer at the Zambia Open University Gilbert Mudenda said traditionally, rainwater was harvested either directly in an open bucket or indirectly through shallow wells dug along the riverbanks, mainly for domestic purposes.
Dr Mudenda observed that water harvesting for crop production was widely used in many parts of the world.
“For example, semi-arid regions in countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Israel, Yemen and India have impressive structures of ancient and still functioning water harvesting systems,” he said.
Also in sub-Saharan Africa, water harvesting techniques are used by farmers. They are, however, less spectacular and, therefore, often overseen by development workers.
Africa has almost 15 per cent of the world’s population and only nine per cent of global fresh water, according to the United Nations.
Rainwater harvesting is a tradition practised in some parts of the country where reliance haffirs and small earth dams are widespread.
Rule Opelo Rainwater harvesting has been promoted in Botswana for a number of years. Hafirs were promoted in the 1960s and 1970s.
Harvesting techniques were introduced for domestic and agricultural water, using above ground and below ground storage, using a design from the Arable Lands Development Programme.
This design was taken from the traditional practice of digging pits for water for cattle and domestic use. Organisations involved in these initiatives, notably Botswana Technology Centre and Rural Industries Innovation Centre, were very active.
“However, rainwater harvesting had yet to be accepted by the Government as a reliable and safe water supply source, with water quality being an important concern,” programme country officer Rule Opelo said.
Recently, the Chinese government announced that it would invest US$600 billion over the next 10 years to protect and improve access to water.
The policy was spelt out in the No one Document — the central government’s first policy document of the year, setting the top priorities — released recently, and comes as a severe and continuing drought in northern China threatens winter wheat.
Since the 1950s, China has constructed 86,000 reservoirs, drilled more than four million wells and developed 58 million hectares of irrigated land, which generates 70 per cent of the country’s total grain production.
The centre of grain production in China has moved from the humid south to the water-scarce north over the past 30 years, as the southern cropland is built on and more land is irrigated further north.
As the north has become drier, increased food production there has largely relied on unsustainable overuse of local water resources, especially groundwater.
Thus Zambia can take advantage of the situation.
In conclusion, successful integrated water resource management should call for a cross sectional approach to the planning, development use and protection of water resources.