Ingenuity helps Zimbabwe weather drought - and US aid cuts
[...]
In 2024, Zimbabwe was hit by southern Africa's worst drought in 40 years. Harvests failed and water reserves dried up in a country where 70% of people rely on subsistence agriculture.
The unprecedented drought was fuelled by El Niño, a climate phenomenon that can exacerbate drought or storms - weather that is made more likely by climate change.
[...]
"Without funding, important efforts to increase resilience, and to adapt to the effects of climate change, may never become reality," Söderberg said.
[...]
Rainwater is collected in giant jars made by moulding canvas and chicken wire around sand. A thin cement plaster fixes the form, then the inside is plastered. The jars are placed near house walls to collect run-off from the roof.
Their simplicity makes for an easy upkeep - a key benefit in remote communities.
"We use chicken wire, plain wire, four bags of cement and 24 buckets of river sand which is locally available. To build the jar tank takes four days and it can collect up to five drums of water, which can last up to three months," said Austin Nkomo, one of the builders of jar tanks based in Hwange.
[..]