Peter Makwanya AGENDA 2063, is the African Developmental narrative and paradigm, aimed at articulating and foregrounding the concept of the Africa we want. Quite a number of development agendas are at the heart of Africa’s sustainable development frameworks, but with climate change adaptation driving and shaping the Africa we want, it is the water sector which is viewed as critical in delivering communities out of poverty and build resilience.
However, the Africa we want cannot be achieved or realised if the continent does not take care of its river basins, which are now under threat from destructive human activities, taking place in the Okavango Delta, Congo Basin, Zambezi River basin, the White and Blue Niles, among others.
These freshwater sources cannot be treated in isolation, but in strong relationship with adjacent forests and wetland areas as supply lines. Rivers play instrumental roles in water supplies, distribution and nurturing of ecological systems hence, they need to be at the heart of the continent’s climate solutions and nature-based conservation.
Rivers, as the continent’s freshwater sources are clothed by magnificent forests, home to a wide range of biological diversity, flora and fauna, supported by vast ecological and cultural co-benefits. These are in line with sustainable development goals (SDGs) 6 (clean water and sanitation), 14 (life below water) and 15 (life on the land), all contributing to SDG 13 (climate action).
The Congo River basin, referred to as the “lungs of the planet” is one of the world’s vast natural carbon sinks, rainforest and leading natural habitat, only second to the Amazon basin. Sadly, the Congo River basin, alongside the Okavango Delta, the Zambezi River basin and many other waterways in Africa are under severe threat, from unending human activities, both from within and also internationally driven.
As the river basin forests are experiencing massive destruction and deforestation, river flows as freshwater sources are being impacted, while global warming is accelerated leading to climate change in the long term.
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As these unending atrocities on Africa’s river basins continue, the local and international media appear silent while trying to paint a developmental picture as discoveries of fossil fuels are being celebrated with blinding decibels. These river basins have fought natural battles of protecting the rivers by providing them with their natural complexion and ecosystemic composition. Elsewhere in Africa, the horrific events taking place in the Okavango Delta, continue to be ignored by both local and international media, thereby denying the world, vital information and knowledge on destructive regimes, clothed as developmental narratives, unfolding in the Okavango Delta and the Zambezi valley.
How the Congo River basin, the Okavango Delta and many other similar operations in Africa’s ecological jewels, are being sacrificed for profit, which would not benefit the ordinary communities, surely boggles the mind. The mentioned river basins, are experiencing wide-scale losses and damage to the vast and magnificent forests, freshwater resources, diverse plant and wild-life species and colonies, the continent cannot afford to lose its last natural strongholds.
The fight against climate change, cannot be successful and meaningful, if little or no particular attention is paid to the events unfolding in Africa’s wonder lands. These forests and basins, represent Africa’s natural capital, ecological diversity and cultural landscapes which cannot afford to be monetised and let alone politicised.
Not only are the unfolding events in the Congo River basin, Okavango Delta, the Zambezi valley and other similar areas on the continent, are contributing to global warming, they are also contributing to forced relocation, human and wildlife conflict and trafficking, contamination of freshwater resources and destruction of vital ecosystemic services. This also includes human conflicts through the funding of armed renegades to destabilise the concerned regions and create chaos. All these provide invisible bonds and ecological interactions, appealing both to the comprehensive visual attractions and abstract phenomena.
While illegal felling of hardwoods for timber in the Congo River basin, reduces forest cover and unlock greenhouse gases from the earth, exploration of oil and gas in the Okavango Delta and Zambezi valley, will affect wildlife movement patterns, human settlements, the quality of freshwater, through fracking methods which are not smart. These are ecological pitfalls and ramifications that need to be sufficiently democratised and decolonised for the achievement of the climate justice that we all envisage.
While the Congo basin magnificently stands as the second largest tropical forest on the planet, with a carbon sequestration capacity which is second to none, its significance should never be ignored. It is also in the Congo basin where 10% of the world’s freshwater reserves and 52% of African freshwater reserves are found.
Therefore, what this means is that, the Congo River alone, without factoring other major rivers like the Blue and White Niles, Zambezi River, among others, can irrigate more than half of the African continent but sadly the continent always go hungry, while freshwater is everywhere. This means that, the African continent has never seriously placed freshwater resources at the heart of its sustainable development which is a cause for concern. This would increase Africa’s potential to feed the whole world, but through sheer short-sightedness and glaring planning gaps, Africa continues to wait for the Russian-Ukraine war to end so that it does what it knows best-import.
The reasons behind these conservation cries for the Congo River basin, the two Niles, the Zambezi River, among others, is to enhance food security, biodiversity and ecological diversity. Otherwise the continued deforestation and degradation of these river basins is accelerating global carbon emissions, reducing the carbon sequestration capacities of these basin, contributes to the drying of other river tributaries and lakes on the continent. As we speak, one of Africa’s biggest lakes, that is lake Chad is as good as gone and the only magic is not in divine nature but sustainable adaptations and water conservation.
Avoiding unsustainable mining practices in these basins would go a long way in preserving freshwater sources by not using dangerous and harmful chemicals that contaminate these water sources, deplete and kill marine species. It is against this background that, to fight climate change, all strategies aimed at chaperoning ecosystems protection and preservation including options aimed at strengthening the conservation and safeguarding of biodiversity should be for grounded.
All the abovementioned untoward human behaviours contribute to wide-scale losses and damage to the continent’s main arteries, lungs and veins of ecological significance. When this is said and done lives would be saved and supported, food security would be realised while sustainable environmental behaviours and cultures would be sufficiently nurtured.
- Peter Makwanya is a climate change communicator. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on: petrovmoyt@gmail.com