The ongoing going rains across the country are wreaking havoc beyond unprecedented levels at a time when the agro-economic zones should be experiencing warmer conditions to enable harvesting of crops.
The situation is worrying because when it rains, homes in the low-lying areas become flooded and so are crop fields and roads. Playing grounds for children suddenly become hatching grounds for mosquitoes. In remote parts of the country, children are compelled to walk long distances to school on the flooded roads.
The North part of the country that experiences long periods of harsh dry conditions and who count losses in livestock during drought are not cushioned from the harsh reality of floods which kill their animals.
The conversation on climate change is ongoing in environmental circles but it is an issue of concern for everyone as all of us will be affected by extreme weather patterns. We have been warned on the irreversibility of climate change and the continued spiking of temperature.
The five-year period from 2014-18 was the world’s hottest on record according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Last year, the International Energy Agency revealed that 2017 saw the highest quantity of carbon emissions.
These trends show that action is needed to abate the situation. Periodical repairs of roads, homes and other infrastructure that are sensitive to weather variability are important.
Construction of adequate trenches is needed as opposed to fallows that are easily filled with filth, mainly in shanties and as a consequence, expose people to diseases. Incidences of cholera in a posh city hotel and a hospital are reminders that we are all vulnerable.
Economist
