By Natasha Mhango
Chirundu district is renowned for its high temperatures and low rainfall. But this scenario has been exacerbated by climate change and is bordering on becoming unbearable for both humans and livestock if no interventions are made.
The District experienced only one month of rainfall during the 2022/2023 rain season and boreholes around the district are already drying up.
Livestock can be seen roaming in search of food and water, and farmers in the district have every right to be disturbed by what they are observing.
Roy Habasimbe is a farmer and village headman in an area called Sikoongo. He explained that in the last 7 years, he has observed a significant reduction in rainfall in the area.
“In 2019, our cattle were even dying of dehydration,” he lamented.
The start of the rainy seasons in Zambia is still 3 – 4 months away but it is already apparent that there a repeat of the 2019 calamity on cattle farmers is feasible once again. At midday when the Chirundu temperatures are close to their peak, cattle can be seen licking the remaining drops of water from the taps at the drying boreholes in an attempt to quench their thirst. It takes a significant amount of continuous pumping to fill a full bucket of water for home use and thus livestock are sometimes left neglected. The animals, therefore, wait around the boreholes for anyone that is drawing water for them to quench their thirst.
This situation has made cattle keeping – a tradition of the people of Chirundu – a difficult task to manage while an environment that is hostile to the growing of their staple food of sorghum is also being created.
“There were just some few crops like maize and maybe groundnuts that could not grow well in Chirundu but for sorghum we were ok…now 7 years down to this year, the rain pattern is not consistent. This year the rains started late and ended early so in the whole of Sikoongo no one will have sorghum this year,” Roy believes.
He further explained that the effects of climate change have been hastened by the indiscriminate cutting of trees for charcoal. The growing patches of bare land which are easily observed are evidence enough.
Livestock such as goats and cattle are left to roam long distances in search of grazing land and water; forcing farmers to come to terms with the action they need to take in order to mitigate against the damage done to their environment.
Traditional headmen met recently in Chirundu to identify ways in which existing by-laws surrounding rangeland management could be strengthened. This consortium of headman was facilitated by the Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme(E-SLIP) as part of their interventions in rangeland management aimed at improving livestock nutrition.
One of the punitive measures they agreed on for culprits of tree cutters was a fine of K500 (approx. USD $26) as well as planting 5 trees for every tree that is indiscriminatingly cut.
“Water here is a challenge so that person who cuts trees will be responsible for planting new trees and making sure to water them so that they grow,” Roy.
Enforcing these laws is where their efficiency lies and it is hoped that the rural communities of Chirundu can be supported by law enforcement authorities to mitigate the effects of climate change that have been aggravated by the thoughtless cutting of trees.