By Bhawna
Emergencies have become common in many parts of the globe. And a high portion of these emergencies occurs in Africa. South Africa is prone to natural disasters. This time it was a flood and it had a huge impact on people’s health.
The South African government has declared an emergency due to excessive flooding in various parts of the country. The government also announced a ‘State of Disaster” after the electricity crisis in the country. The National Disaster Management Centre NDMC has declared the impact of rainfall in areas like Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape as a national disaster. This was followed by the declaration of a State of Disaster as South Africa faces blackouts due to electricity supplier Eskom. Eskom is unable to meet electricity demands. There are financing issues also.
Affected areas
Image source: floodlist.com
Seven out of nine provinces have been impacted by the continuous rains. This also includes Gauteng, the economic hub province. The national state of disaster also needs an intensive and coordinated response to the floods. Floods are affecting Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and the North West provinces.
What has happened?
Image source: india.com
There are reports of flooded homes and vehicles swept away by floods. There are overflowing dams, loss of basic infrastructure, and damage to roads and bridges. A Limpopo hospital has also been ravaged by the floods. There has been damage to businesses, rail, and telecommunications. The fuel and food supplies have been disrupted. The Port of Durban has been severely affected by the floods. This port is one of the largest shipping terminals and handles more than a thousand heavy vehicles per day. It has had a major economic impact. This natural disaster of flooding has been called a humanitarian disaster because it needs many major and urgent relief efforts. Many people’s lives are still at risk. Many people have been without water and food. Water tankers are bringing in water. But there is the problem that roads and bridges are cut off. Drinking water has become a problem. It is out of order. The bad weather has its toll on many businesses and homes that rely on rooftop solar energy. The lack of sunshine has made it difficult to recharge these systems. Schools are closed. Many schools have been affected by the flood. They have been destroyed. Many homes have been shattered. The situation is overwhelming and full of uncertainties.
What is being done?
Image source: shutterstock.com
There is a need for the provision of temporary shelters, food, and blankets to homeless families. There should be large-scale rehabilitation. South African Police Service and South African National Defense Force are required to play a major role in the effective retort to the disaster. Disaster management teams have been on high alert in responding to people affected by the disaster. There is still rain taking place in many areas, thus aggravating those areas that have been damaged. There was previously the Covid disaster and now a natural disaster that is having its toll on people.
The army has appointed plumbers to restore water supplies and electricians to restore power supplies. Air support is being done to bring in goods, water, and tents. It is also difficult to organize funerals. Digging the graves is a problem because it gets filled with water. Mortuaries can’t keep dead people because they are so many.
There has been a response from NGOs and community-based structures that have assisted the government in helping with these conditions.
Causes of floods
Image source: floodlist.com
Farmers have suffered crop and livestock losses. There are further losses anticipated as the Weather Service has predicted heavy rains. These situations have been caused by La Nina global weather phenomenon which occurs in the Pacific Ocean. These situations have also been caused because of climate change. It has happened due to human-induced climate change. Heavy rainfalls are predicted to increase with additional global warming levels. These floods are a reminder of the alarming frequency of tragedies that can take place due to climate change. We have to increase our investment in climate adaptation measures so that we can protect the world against the effects of climate change. There are also predictions of thunderstorms.
Extreme rainfall is a result of climate change. A warmer atmosphere has more moisture and it increases the likelihood of rainfall. The heavy rainfalls in Africa have been because of low-level maritime air which has been fed in from the southern Indian Ocean. Hence, it increases the probability of more rainfall. The source of maritime air was from warmer, sub-tropical parts of the ocean. This has a greater capacity to transfer moisture that can produce rainfall. Also, soils have been oversaturated with water. So, we can see flooding in the future. There are other causes like poor drainage and infrastructure. Africa’s surface temperature is rising at a faster rate. There has been extreme weather on the continent.