{"id":2952,"date":"2020-08-12T12:57:44","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T17:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.org\/?p=2952"},"modified":"2021-01-26T11:33:48","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T16:33:48","slug":"water-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.org\/water-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virus Lays Additional Strain on Water Supply
\n<\/strong>By: Kim Harrisberg and Lungelo Ndlovu<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty people and their cattle share the only borehole in Gongu village in southwestern Zimbabwe, meaning frequent handwashing to fight the coronavirus is easier said than done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across drought-hit southern Africa, COVID-19 has spurred governments to dispatch water tankers, drill boreholes, and repair taps \u2014 solutions experts and residents of thirsty slums and villages say must last long after the pandemic has passed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re calling for the government to do more because at the moment there are few boreholes,\u201d Khulekani Ncube, Gongu village\u2019s headman, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost villagers don\u2019t have soap and masks to protect themselves against the virus. But we conserve the little water we have to prevent the spread of COVID-19,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many central and western parts of southern Africa \u2014 including Zimbabwe \u2014 have experienced their lowest rainfall since 1981 over the past year, according to the United Nations, highlighting inadequate water access across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly 70 percent of Africans would struggle to access food and water if in lockdown for fourteen days, according to a report by the Partnership for Evidence-based Response to COVID-19 (PERC), a consortium of global public health organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report published in April found that social media comments from Africans, specifically in central and southern regions, spotlighted the \u201cincomprehensibility\u201d of following handwashing instructions in areas with little water.<\/span><\/p>\n

As authorities scramble to boost immediate water supplies, tapping state funds or in partnerships with charities, specialists say longer-term solutions might prove more cost-effective too.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Learn about how the Comboni Missionaries are providing water filters to villages in Uganda]<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWater tankers are good for emergencies, but one of the most expensive water solutions out there,\u201d said Barbara van Koppen, a southern Africa researcher with the International Water Management Institute, a nonprofit research organization. \u201cWe need to use the Coronavirus crisis to question: What are short-term solutions and what are long-term?\u201d she said in a phone interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Pipeline<\/strong><\/span>
\nBy May of this year, South Africa had more than 7,200 confirmed coronavirus cases, the highest on the continent, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.<\/span><\/p>\n

The South African government sent an estimated 7,700 water tanks and 1,200 water trucks to villages and townships across the country, the official news agency reported. \u201cWe\u2019re looking into using reservoirs, drilling boreholes, and making use of groundwater too,\u201d said Sputnik Ratau, a spokesman for the country\u2019s water and sanitation department.<\/span><\/p>\n

But some communities say they are tired of waiting for lasting solutions to the long-standing problem. \u201cSome villages have not had running water for over twenty years,\u201d said journalist Ndivhuwo Mukwevho from Limpopo, South Africa\u2019s northernmost province, who wrote about the delivery of 132 water tanks to drought-stricken villages in the province in early April.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to water will help with hand washing, but also cooking, drinking, and cleaning,\u201d Mukwevho said. \u201cWe just hope the water tankers are still here after the pandemic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the border in Zimbabwe, which has at least thirty-four coronavirus cases, 16,000 gallons of water have been distributed during the outbreak, said Moment Malandu, coordinator for the government rural infrastructure agency in Matabeleland South province. As they wait for more emergency water aid, people are innovating too. Gongu villagers use five-liter buckets called \u201cTippy Taps\u201d that slowly dispense water through an attached nozzle, aiding hand washing and making their borehole supply last longer. More permanent measures are also in the pipeline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Malandu said the Coronavirus pandemic had spurred ongoing repairs of 1,200 water points and accelerated plans to help drill six hundred new boreholes in Zimbabwe\u2019s eight provinces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnough to Go Around\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
\nIn Malawi, which has at least forty-one Coronavirus cases, the government\u2019s COVID-19 response includes a $5.6 million water distribution plan, involving the construction of solar-powered water systems and the repair of existing water sources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mozambique, which is still recovering from two devastating 2019 cyclones, has partnered with the United Nations to establish a COVID-19 municipal taskforce to assess key water points for people with disabilities and in informal settlements.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government has also suspended collection of a water supply tax in rural areas during the current crisis, according to a United Nations report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mozambique has reported at least eighty cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. In West Africa, the Ebola outbreak led to an increase in demand and supply of water to prevent the spread of the disease, according to a water security report published by K4D, a platform for evidence-based research.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researcher van Koppen said there was enough water in southern Africa, urging governments to prioritize and invest in water infrastructure to ensure demand is met during the Coronavirus crisis and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGovernments need to start with what is already there. For example, often there are boreholes that already exist but don\u2019t work as they are badly maintained,\u201d she said, adding that asking communities what they need is an important first step.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is actually enough water to go around,\u201d van Koppen said. \u201cIt\u2019s just about prioritization. Do we use it for luxury uses, such as golf courses, or do we invest in water infrastructure where it\u2019s most needed?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Story courtesy of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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