Chigwa cha Great Rift Valley
Yolembedwa ndi mtolankhani wa Galamukani! ku Kenya
NDICHO chigwembe chachikulu, chiphompho chachikulu kwambiri panthaka choti munthu atha kuchiona atakhala pamwezi! Chinachokera m’Chigwa cha Yordano kumpoto kwa dziko la Israel mpaka chinatsikira ku Mozambique—mtunda wokwanira makilomita 6,400—chinatenga mbali yaikulu ya kontinenti ya Afirika.
Wofufuza miyala ndi nthaka wa ku Scotland, J. W. Gregory, ndiye amene anali woyambirira kufufuza mwatsatanetsatane chilengedwe chodabwitsachi mu 1893. Gregory anapeza kuti chigwembe chachikulucho sichinapangidwe ndi kukokoloka kwa nthaka chifukwa cha madzi kapena mphepo ayi, koma “chifukwa cha kudirizika kwa mwala waukulu, pamene nthaka ya m’mbali mwake inali chikhalire.” (Yerekezerani ndi Salmo 104:8.) Chigwa chachikuluchi anachitcha Great Rift Valley.
Lerolino asayansi sazindikira bwinobwino chimene chinachitika pansi pa nthaka kuti chigwa chimenechi chipangike zaka zikwi zambiri zapitazo. Komabe, munthu sangalephere kuzizwa ndi zinthu zosiyanasiyana zopezeka mmenemo. Mbali ya Great Rift Valley imene ili m’Afirika, kuyambira ku Ethiopia, ili ndi malo otchedwa Danakil Depression (odziŵikanso monga Afar Triangle), amene ndi amodzi mwa malo oopsa kwambiri padziko lapansi. Chidikha cha mchere chachikuluchi chinachitana malire ndi Nyanja Yofiira ndipo ndi chipululu cha masikweya kilomita 150,000 kukula kwake. Pa maloŵa nthaka inaloŵa pansi ndi mamita 120 kuchokera pa mlingo wa madzi a nyanja. Temperecha ingakwere kwambiri mpaka kufika 54 digiri Celcius. Kuchoka apo chigwachi chinakafika kuzitunda za ku Ethiopia—malo ozizira okwezeka mamita 1,800 pamwamba pa mlingo wa madzi a nyanja, zokhala ndi mapiri otalika mamita 4,300. Nkhalango za mvula zoŵirira zinakuta malo otsetsereka a zitunda zachondezi, zikumathira madzi m’mitsinje yosiyanasiyana, monga Blue Nile. M’nthambi yake ya kummaŵa, chigwachi chimapitirizabe kukwera ndi kutsika mochititsa chidwi.
M’mbali mwa Great Rift Valley muli mapiri avolokano osiyanasiyana mpangidwe wake ndi ukulu wake ndiponso zigwa zazing’ono zokhala ngati nthambi zake. M’chigwa cha kumadzulo, mphamvu za volokano zinapanga mtandadza wa mapiri a Ruwenzori ndi Virunga amene ali m’malire a maiko a Rwanda, Zaire, ndi Uganda. Mapiri ena amaonetsabe zizindikiro zakuti pansi pake mpotentha ndipo nthaŵi zina amatulutsa utsi ndi chiphalaphala chofiira ndi kutentha. Mapiri akalekale a volokano monga Kilimanjaro ndi Mount Kenya pafupi ndi chigwa cha kummaŵa, ndi ataliatali kwambiri kwakuti ngakhale kuti amaombedwa ndi dzuŵa lotentha kwabasi la mu equator, amakutidwabe ndi chipale. Akasupe otentha otulutsa nthunzi ndi madzi otentha kwambiri amapezekanso mu Rift Valley imeneyi, kuchitira umboni kubwatamuka kumene kukuchitikabe pansi penipeni pa nthaka.
Kummwera kwake, m’dziko la Tanzania, chigwachi chinachitana malire ndi dambo lalikulu la udzu. Ilo limatchedwa siringet m’chinenero chachimasai, liwu lotanthauza “malo aakulu opanda kanthu.” Limadziŵika bwino monga Serengeti Plain, ndipo udzu wake wochulukawo ndiwo chakudya cha magulu ambiri a nyama zakutchire. Kuno nkumene nyumbu zambirimbiri zimasamukasamuka—chochitika chosangalatsadi!
Nyanja za m’Chigwachi
Chakummaŵa kwa Great Rift Valley ya mu Afirika kuli nyanja zambiri zodzazidwa ndi mchere wa sodium carbonate. Mchere umenewu unatchezeka kuchokera ku mapiri a volokano kapena unaloŵa m’nyanjazi kuchokera ku mavolokano ochitika pansi pa nthaka. Nyanja zina, monga Nyanja ya Turkana kumpoto kwa dziko la Kenya, zili ndi mchere wochepa. Popeza kuti njozunguliridwa ndi masikweya kilomita zikwi zambiri a chipululu chazitsamba, Nyanja ya Turkana nthaŵi zina imaoneka yobiriŵira bwino ndipo ndi yokhayi imene ili ndi ng’ona zochuluka padziko lapansi. Nyanja zina, monga Nyanja ya Magadi ku Kenya ndi Nyanja ya Natron ku Tanzania, zili ndi mchere wambiri zedi kwakuti umaundanaundana ndi kupanga miyala yoyera ya soda. Chopangitsa? Kusoŵa kwa mitsinje imene ingamatulutse mcherewo. Madzi ambiri amapunguka mwa kuphwa, ndipo mchere wambirimbiri umakhalira. Pali nyama zochepa zimene zimakhala mkati ndi m’mbali mwa madzi oŵaŵa a m’nyanja zasoda za mu Rift Valley imeneyi. Zina mwa zimenezo ndi ma flamingo okongola a pinki amene amayendera nyanja zasodazi, ndipo amadya ndere zing’onozing’ono kwambiri zimene zimakula bwinobwino m’madzi ootchawo. Mamiliyoni a ma flamingo amasonkhana pamalo ameneŵa, ndipo amangokhala ngati nyanja yapinki ya zamoyo.
Chinthu china chimene chimakhala bwinobwino m’madzi akuphawo ndi nsomba yaing’ono yotchedwa tilapia grahami. Nsomba yosamva mchere imeneyi imakonda kupezeka pafupi ndi ming’alu ya nthunzi ya pansi pa madzi, kumene madzi ake ngotentha kwakuti amaotcha ukapisamo dzanja. Koma nsomba yaing’onoyi imakhala bwinobwino mmenemo, ndipo imadya ndere za m’nyanjamo.
Ndi nyanja zoŵerengeka zokha za m’chigwa chakummaŵa zimene zili ndi madzi abwino. Imodzi mwa zimenezo ndi Nyanja ya Naivasha ku Kenya. Iyo imapezeka pa mtunda wa mamita 1,870 pamwamba pa mlingo wa madzi a nyanja, ndipo mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya nsomba pamodzi ndi magulu a mvuu zomaothera dzuŵa zimapezeka m’madzi ake oyerawo. Chipeta cha gumbwa chobiriŵira bwino ndi zomera zina za m’madzi nzozungulira gombe lake, ndipo mmenemo mumakhala mbalame zokongola za mitundu yosiyanasiyana yokwanira 400. Popeza kuti kumene Nyanja ya Naivasha ili kulinso mitengo yachikasu ya acacia ndi mtandadza wa mapiri, imasangalatsa kuiona.
Pakati pa chigwachi pali Nyanja ya Victoria imene ndi yachiŵiri mwa nyanja zokhala ndi madzi abwino padziko lapansi. Maiko ozungulira nyanjayo ndiwo Kenya, Uganda, ndi Tanzania, ndipo ndi imodzi mwa magwero a Mtsinje wa Nile. Nyanja ya Tanganyika ili chakummwera, ndipo njozama ndi mamita 1,440. Imeneyi ndi yachiŵiri mwa nyanja zozama kwambiri padziko lapansi.
Nyama Zamitundumitundu
Mu Rift Valley ya ku East Africa muli nyama zakutchire zamitundumitundu. Njati, nyamalikiti, zipembere, ndi njovu ndi zina mwa nyama zikuluzikulu zimene zimayendayenda kulikonse kumene zingafune m’nkhalango yaikulu ya m’chigwachi. M’madera ouma mumapezeka mbidzi, oryx, ndi nthiŵatiŵa. Nswala zokongola zimadumpha kwambiri zikamathamanga kudutsa madambo. Amphaka amaŵangamaŵanga monga akambuku ndi akakwiyo amasaka m’madambo, ndipo kubangula kwa mkango woopsawo kumamveka nthaŵi ya madzulo. Pamwamba m’mapiri a Virunga pamakhala nyani wamtundu wa gorilla wosaonekaoneka wa m’mapiri. Magulu a anyani amayenda pang’onopang’ono pansi penipeni pa chigwachi modutsa malo oipawo, ndipo amasaka tizirombo, mbewu ndi zinkhanira. Ziwombankhanga zamphamvu ndi miimba zimalengama mumlengalenga zitafunyulula mapiko ake aakuluwo, zili mkati mokankhidwa ndi mpweya wotentha. Mbalame zokongola monga touraco, zina zamtundu wa akansire, analikoma, ndi zinkhwe zimakhala m’zitsamba zaminga m’zidikha. Abuluzi osiyanasiyana matupi, ukulu, ndi maonekedwe awo amaderukaderuka, kungokhala ngati aponda moto.
Anthu Osamukasamuka a m’Chigwachi
Mafuko a anthu a m’chipululu okonda kuŵeta zifuyo ndi kuyendayenda amakhala mu Rift Valley ya ku East Africa. Iwo ndi anthu amphamvu amene amayenda moponya miyendo, chizoloŵezi cha Mwafirika wosamukasamuka. M’madera amene kumagwa mvula yochepa, nthaŵi zambiri midzi yonse imasamuka kukafuna mabusa atsopano a ziŵeto zawo. Popanda mapasipoti kapena mavisa, iwo amadutsa mwaufulu malire opanda zizindikiro zake a maiko ndipo achita ngati sadziŵa za chitukuko cha kunja ndi kakhalidwe ka anthu ena. M’madera akumidziŵa, anthu amangodzikhalira. Dzuŵa ndi limene limawasonyeza kuti nthaŵi ikaliko kapena yatha. Chuma cha munthu chimadalira pa kuchuluka kwa ngamila, mbuzi, ng’ombe, kapena nkhosa zimene ali nazo kapenanso kuchuluka kwa ana pabanja lake.
Pomanga nyumba, samagwiritsira ntchito zinthu zambiri koma amazimanga mwaluso. Amapinda nthambi za mitengo ndi kuzimangirira pamodzi ndipo imaoneka ngati dzira. Pamwamba pake amakutapo ndi udzu woluka, zikopa za nyama, kapena matope ophatikiza ndi ndoŵe za ng’ombe. Nthaŵi zambiri nyumba zimenezi zimakhala ndi moto wophikira, kakhola ka ziŵeto, ndi pogona pa chikopa cha nyama basi. Moto umene uli pachiotho umadzaza nyumbayo ndi utsi, choncho ntchentche ndi udzudzu sizitha kuloŵamo. Nthaŵi zambiri anthu a pamudzi kapena pabanja amamanga nyumba zing’onozing’ono zonga dzirazo mozungulira malowo ndipo kunja kwake amamangako mpanda wa zitsamba zaminga, kutetezera ziŵeto zawo ku zirombo za kutchire usiku.
M’chigwa cha Great Rift Valley chimenechi mumapezeka anthu osiyanasiyana a nkhope zawozawo, zinenero, ndi miyambo, zosiyana malinga ndi mafuko awo ndi malo amene anthuwo amakhala. Zikhulupiriro zawo zachipembedzo zimasiyananso kwambiri. Ena anasankha Chisilamu; ena, Chikristu cha dzina chabe. Zambiri zimakhulupirira malodza ndipo kutangochitika kanthu kosadziŵika bwino amangoti kachitika ndi mizimu. M’zaka zaposachedwapa madera akumidzi ameneŵa anayamba kulandira kakhalidwe kakunja kupyolera m’maprogramu amaphunziro ndi chisamaliro chamankhwala.
Mosadabwitsa konse, Mboni za Yehova zikuyesetsanso kufikira anthu osamukasamuka amphamvuŵa. Mbonizo zikufuna kuwazindikiritsa lonjezo la m’Baibulo lonena za nthaŵi pamene sikudzakhalanso kupeza zinthu movutikira m’nthaka youma. Baibulo limati: “Chipululu ndi malo ouma adzakondwa; ndipo dziko loti se lidzasangalala ndi kuphuka ngati duŵa.” (Yesaya 35:1) Pakali pano, chigwa cha Great Rift Valley chili umboni waukulu wa zinthu zamitundumitundu zomwe analenga Mpangi wa zinthu zonse, Yehova Mulungu.
[Mapu patsamba 16]
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[Mawu a Chithunzi]
Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1995 Digital Wisdom, Inc.
[Chithunzi patsamba 17]
Kudambo lotchedwa Serengeti Plain kumakhala zochititsa chidwi—kusamuka kwa nyumbu zambirimbiri
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
Pansipa: © Index Stock Photography and John Dominis, 1989
[Chithunzi pamasamba 18, 19]
Mamiliyoni a ma “flamingo” amasonkhana, kungokhala ngati nyanja yapinki ya zamoyo
[Chithunzi pamasamba 18, 19]
Mboni za Yehova zimauza anthu a mu Rift Valley za uthenga wa m’Baibulo