Dr. Bestone Ngonga writes:
We Zambians have short memories and I wonder where the so called technocrats in climatology are. I don’t want to be a prophet of doom but let me tell you something.
Every second year of a decade Zambia experiences below normal rainfall and this coincides with change of Government every first year of a decade.
In 1991 we changed Govt to MMD and in 1992 we had a drought. Remember yellow maize under Guy Scott as agric minister.
In 2001 we changed to New deal Govt and 2002 we had another drought leading to introduction of winter maize, in 2011 PF came to power and 2012 we had a drought. Maize dried from kabwe to livingstone, but the banning of export of maize in 2010 and 2011 saved Zambia, thanks to the late Sata.
In 2021 we had change of Govt to Upnd and what do we expect in 2022? Of course a drought.
It’s like God tests each new government with a drought to see if these govts can handle crisis.
Mwanawasa government not prepared and he ended up threatening to jail those who were talking about southerners eating tubers.
By then I was Ed of Media Trust Fund. I remember sponsoring journalists on the fact finding mission in Southern province.
The results were terrible.
So UPND must start preparing itself to deal with the 2022 drought or else Zambians should be ready for another calamity.
Even if rains came today, it is too late to plant because by February the itcz will have gone back to Congo.
Normal period for early maturing maize is from 90 days meaning we need continuous rainfall from January to April, which is not possible unless with God’s intervention.
The normal plant season ends on December 15.
So let us not politicize weather.
Those of you who were old enough in the 90s I predicted rainfall patterns in Zambia for the next 20 years in the then Financial Mail. Go back in the archives and prove me wrong if my prediction did not come to pass. Iam not a prophet but technocrats who believes in making projections as basis for decision making.
I am speaking as a climatologist having studied geography at degree level.