Water, Please
Robert Mugabe directly or indirectly has taken his country along a downward spiral from which there may be no escape unless there is some kind of international intervention to oust him and his political party Zanu PF. The latest water crisis in Zimbabwe is a result of what has happened all these years during his regime. The government may have been right in blaming the cholera deaths and water shortage on western sanctions but it would also be prudent if the government admits the reasons behind these sanctions. While the west and the Mugabe led government battle it out in an international arena, the residents of Harare continue to stay thirsty and diseased. The water supply to Harare has been cut.
At least 425 people have lost their lives to the cholera epidemic and most of the fatalities have been due to lack of medicines. The government has not been able to import medicines from the west due to the sanctions placed by the international community. The sanctions are justified because if these were lifted, it would mean the acceptance of Mugabe regime, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands. This modern holocaust is now worsened by the cholera outbreak and people have been warned not to shake hands by the health ministry, due to fears of the disease spreading rapidly due to human contact.
A shocking 11,000 have been infected by cholera in the nation and the real mortality rates are known. Now, the water shortage, or the complete lack of it would heighten the risk of cholera related fatalities for the sanitation levels in the city of Harare and even in the rural areas would worsen. People have already complained of the stench emanating from the streets and the lack of water to even wash hands. The disease outbreak, an oppressive regime and lack of water are not the only problems affecting the Zimbabweans.
The nation is going through an economic crisis worse than that of America’s and there was an unbelievable inflation rate of 231,000,000% and only 20% of the adult population has a job. The tragedy is deeper in the rural areas where people live in perpetual poverty, hunger, disease and crime. The silent deaths of thousands of Zimbabweans are a fact largely ignored by Mugabe and his opponents, both in and out of Zimbabwe. The country is heading towards a catastrophe of an unimaginable scale, which if ignored would take this nation’s citizens towards the doors of death easily.
Luxury hotels, hospitals, schools and even government offices have shut down thanks to the cholera threat and the politicians have remained silent or have pointed accusing fingers towards the west. Now, it would be illogical to say that the west has been kind to Zimbabwe and its people. The western sanctions have crushed the country’s economy and isolated it from the rest of the world. Budiriro has reported 885 infections and it happens to be a high-density suburb of Harare.
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society is fighting a losing battle with whatever assistance it possible can get from the International Federation of Red Cross. United Nation’s Water and Sanitization and Hygiene (WASH) have been working closely with both IFRC and ZRCS. The organizations have been playing an important role in providing information, communication and education (IEC) to the Ministry of Health, which at a time like this needs more sympathy than criticism.
94,000 sachets of water makers, buckets, Oral Re-Hydration salts, and some medicines have been distributed thanks to the mobilizing nature of the ZRCS. Right now, the ZRCS has listed a number of needs of which the most important are awareness campaigns to promote community hygiene, providing safe water to about 100,000 people, protecti9ve clothing for volunteers, medical supplies, ORS tablets, health volunteers at the various communities and suburbs, and most importantly, training for Red Cross volunteers and chlorine tablets for household water treatment.
The nation also needs borewells, sustainable hygiene and sanitation, more volunteers and training for them on a more permanent basis, and cholera kits. These actions aim at saving about 100,000 from cholera related death, which looks imminent right now. In the next two months, improved access to 20,000 households needs to be thought of. The organizations have planned to distribute 10,000 bars of soap and ORS tables.
The agenda of these global organizations working in tandem with the government seeks to reduce the number of deaths, illnesses, and also violence, which has been a result of oppressive regimes. IFRC has been leading a programme to tackle these and many other issues affecting Zimbabwe and its population. If you would like to seek information or offer your voluntary services, you could contact the Red Cross Society close to you or one of the numbers given below.
Zimbabwe: Emma Kundishora, Secretary General Email zrcs@ecoweb.co.zw;
ekundishora@comone.co.zw , Phone: Tel: +263.4.332638; +263.4.332197;
Fax +263.4.335490
Peter Lundberg; Country Representative, Zimbabwe Country Representation, Harare; Email peter.lundberg@ifrc.org .Phone: Tel: +263.4.705166; +263.4.720315,
Fax +263.4.708784
South Africa: Françoise Le Goff, Head of Zone Office, Johannesburg;
Email francoise.legoff@ifrc.org; Phone: Tel: +27.11.303.9700; +27.11.303.9711;
Fax: +27.11.884.3809; +27.11.884.0230
Switzerland, Geneva: Busi Tshili; Officer (Management Support Team), Coordination and Programmes Division; Email: busisiwe.tshili@ifrc.org; Phone: Tel: +41.22.730.4207; Fax: +41.22.733.0395
Via: IFRC
