Aye Phi Amanzi?

ICherrapunji, eIndiya, yenye yezona ndawo zinemvula eninzi emhlabeni. Ngexesha lezivondoviya zomoya, iinduli zalapho zithi gabhu kwimvula eziimilimitha ezingama-9 000, emazantsi kwiiNtaba zeHimalaya. Noko ke, nangona isenokubonakala ikwimeko entle, iCherrapunji inayo nengxaki yokunqatyelwa ngamanzi.

EKUBENI kungekho zityalo zokulondoloza amanzi, emka ngokukhawuleza kanye ngendlela ehla ngayo esibhakabhakeni. Kwiinyanga ezimbini emva kweemvula ezidibene nezivondoviya zomoya, amanzi ayanqaba. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Water: The International Crisis, uRobin Clarke, kwiminyaka eliqela eyadlulayo, wachaza iCherrapunji “njengeyona ntlango ineemvula ezininzi emhlabeni.”a

Kude kufutshane nentlambo yaseCherrapunji kumi iBangladesh, ilizwe elixineneyo elisemazantsi elithwaxwa ziimvula ezihamba nezivondoviya zomoya zisenza izangxaza ukutyhutyhumeza iinduli ezingumqwebedu zaseIndiya naseNepal. Ngeminye iminyaka, isibini kwisithathu seBangladesh siyakhukuliswa. Kodwa zithi zakuwutha izikhukula, uMlambo iGanges utshe, uze loo mmandla uswele amanzi. Abantu abangaphezu kwe-100 lezigidi eBangladesh banyamezela le ntlungu yezikhukula nembalela minyaka le. Enye into embi kakhulu yile yokuba, amanzi amaqula angcoliswe yiarsenic, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba sele ityhefe izigidi ngezigidi zabantu.

ENukus, eUzbekistan, kude kufutshane noLwandle iAral, ingxaki asiyoarsenic kodwa yityuwa. Intlenge emhlophe igqume umqhaphu yaye iphazamisana nokukhula kwawo. Le tyuwa inyuka ize ngaphezulu isuka kumhlaba ongaphantsi ozele amanzi. Le ngxaki yokubakho kwetyuwa emhlabeni asiyonto intsha. Ezolimo zaseMesopotamiya zaba kumgangatho ophantsi ukususela kwiminyaka engamawaka amane eyadlulayo kwangenxa yesi sizathu. Ukunkcenkceshelwa kakhulu komhlaba kwakunye nokungatshoni kwamanzi kubangela ukuba ityuwa ibe ngaphezu komhlaba. Ukuze kufumaneke isivuno esihle, kufanele kusetyenziswe amanzi amaninzi acocekileyo. Noko ke, ekugqibeleni umhlaba uye ungabi nangenelo—nakwizizukulwana ezilandelayo.

Aya Phi Amanzi?

Ngelishwa, ubukhulu becala kudla ngokuna izantyala-ntyala zemvula. Ezi mvula azikhukulisi nje kuphela, kodwa zibangela ukuba amanzi abaleke ukuya kungena elwandle. Yaye iindawo ezithile ziba nemvula eninzi, ngoxa ezinye zifumana engephi. ICherrapunji idume ngokuba nemvula eziimilimitha ezingama-26 000 kwisithuba nje seenyanga ezili-12, ngoxa iNtlango iAtacama kumantla eChile isenokuba ikhe yaqingqitha iminyaka eliqela ingenamvula kwaphela.

Ukongezelela, uninzi lwabantu abakwisijikelezi-langa sethu bahlala kwiindawo ezingenamanzi kangako. Ngokomzekelo, bambalwa kakhulu abantu abahlala kweleenjiko eAfrika naseMzantsi Merika apho imvula ixhaphakileyo. UMlambokazi iAmazon utyekezela uLwandlekazi iAtlantiki i-15 ekhulwini lezantyala-ntyala zemvula nyaka ngamnye, kodwa ngenxa yokuba abemi bale ngingqi bengebaninzi kangako, abafuni manzi maninzi. Kwelinye icala, abantu abamalunga nezigidi ezingama-60 bahlala eYiputa, apho imvula ingekho kangako, yaye ukuze bafumane amanzi baxhomekeke kuMlambo umNayile ongenamanzi kangako.

Kwiminyaka eyadlulayo oku kungalingani kwesixa samanzi akuzange kubangele iingxaki ezinkulu. Ngokutsho kolunye uhlolisiso, ngowe-1950 kwakungekho ndawo emhlabeni eyayingenamanzi okanye inamanzi ashokoxeke gqitha. Kodwa adlula loo maxesha okuba kubekho amanzi amaninzi. Kwimimandla eyinkqantosi kuMntla Afrika noMbindi Asia, amanzi anokusetyenziswa ngumntu omnye aye ehla aya kutsho kwisinye eshumini kunento awayeyiyo ngowe-1950.

Ngaphandle kokwanda kwabemi nokungabikho kwemvula kwimimandla emininzi exineneyo, amanzi afuneka gqitha ngenxa yezinye izizathu. Ehlabathini namhlanje, inkqubela nokuchuma kuyahambisana nokuba nemithombo enokuthenjwa yamanzi.

Amanzi Afuneka Gqitha

Ukuba uhlala kwilizwe elihambele phambili kwezoshishino, ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo uye waphawula ukuba imizi-mveliso ithi finini ngakwimilambo enamagama. Isizathu sizicacele. Kwimizi-mveliso kufuneka amanzi ukuze kuveliswe yonke into, ukususela kwiikhompyutha ukuya kutsho kwiingcingo zokudibanisa amaphepha. Ukuveliswa kokutya nako kufuna amanzi amaninzi ngendlela engathethekiyo. Amaziko amandla ombane afuna amanzi angaphaya kwengqondo, yiyo loo nto uya kufika engakumachibi okanye imilambo.

Amanzi afuneka nangakumbi kwezolimo. Kwiindawo ezininzi imvula ayikho okanye ina xa ithandile, ngenxa yoko akunakuba lula ukufumana isivuno esihle, ngoko kuye kwabhenelwa ekunkcenkcesheleni ukuze kufunyiswe umhlaba owomileyo. Ngenxa yokuba kuxhonyekekwe ekunkcenkceshelweni kwezityalo, ezolimo zisebenzisa amanzi amaninzi acocekileyo esi sijikelezi-langa.

Ukongezelela, ezindlwini kusetyenziswa amanzi amaninzi. Ebudeni beminyaka yee-1990, ngenxa yokwanda kwabantu ngama-900 ezigidi ezixekweni kuye kwafuneka iinkqubo zogutyulo ezisemgangathweni namanzi acocekileyo. Imithombo eqhelekileyo yamanzi njengemilambo namaqula ayisazilingene izixeko ezikhulu. Ngokomzekelo, ngoku kwisiXeko saseMexico kuye kwafuneka kufakwe imibhobho etsala amanzi ukusuka kumgama ongaphezu kweekhilomitha ezili-125 ize iwathumele kumnqantsa wentaba onyuka kangangeemitha ezili-1 200 ngasentla kweso sixeko. UDieter Kraemer uthi kwingxelo yakhe ethi Water: The Life-Giving Source, le meko “inokufaniswa neoktopas; ekhupha iingalo zayo ngaphandle kwesixeko izama ukufumana amanzi.”

Ngoko ke, imizi-mveliso, ezolimo, nezixeko, bezisenza isimbonono zifuna amanzi angakumbi. Yaye uninzi lweemfuno zazo ziye zafezekiswa okwangoku, ngokutsala amanzi koovimba besi sijikelezi-langa—amanzi angaphantsi komhlaba. Imithombo iyindawo eyintloko amanzi acocekileyo afumaneka kuyo emhlabeni. Kodwa akuthethi ukuba ayinakuphelelwa ngamanzi. Le mithombo yamanzi ifana nemali esebhankini. Akunakuqhubeka uyitsala ukuba akuyifaki kangako. Akubi kudala uvune imiphumo yezenzo zakho.

Ukusetyenziswa Nokuxhatshazwa Kwamanzi Angaphantsi Komhlaba

Amanzi angaphantsi komhlaba ngala sitsala kuwo xa sizalisa iqula. Ingxelo yeUnited Nations Children’s Fund enomxholo othi Groundwater: The Invisible and Endangered Resource iqikelela ukuba amanzi asetyenziswa ezindlwini nekunkcenkceshelwa ngawo izityalo avela kulo mthombo. Ekubeni amanzi angaphantsi komhlaba edla ngokungangcoli kakhulu kunamanzi angaphezulu, adla ngokusetyenziselwa ukusela ubukhulu becala, ezixekweni nasemaphandleni. Ukuba ebetsalwa ngomlinganiselo ofanelekileyo, amanzi angaphantsi komhlaba ebeya kuqhubeka ekho, ekubeni egalelwa yimvula engenayo emhlabeni iye kutsho kule mithombo ingaphantsi komhlaba. Kodwa kangangeenkulungwane uluntu belusoloko lutsala amanzi angakumbi kunalawo anokubuyiselwa yimvula.

Loo nto iphumele ekubeni amanzi angaphantsi komhlaba aye emazantsi, kuze ke kube nzima okanye kudle imali eninzi ukuwatsala enzulwini. Lithi lakoma iqula, kube nzima ngokwezoqoqosho nabantu batsale nzima. Sele ziqalile ezo ntlekele eIndiya. Ekubeni ukuveliswa kokutya kwamawaka ezigidi zabantu abahlala kumathafa akumbindi weTshayina neIndiya kuxhomekeke kumanzi agcinwa ngaphantsi komhlaba, kubonakala kuza kuba nzima ngokwenene.

Ukugqitywa kwamanzi angaphantsi komhlaba kwenziwa kube kubi nangakumbi kukungcoliswa kwawo. Izichumiso zabezolimo, ilindle labantu nelezilwanyana nemichiza yemizi-mveliso, zonke ezo zinto zingena kula manzi angaphantsi komhlaba. Ingxelo eyapapashwa yiWorld Meteorological Organization ithi: “Uthi wakungcoliswa umthombo, ukucocwa kwawo kunokuthabatha ixesha elide, kudle imali eninzi, mhlawumbi kungenzeki. Ukungena kwezingcolisi kula manzi kuye kwabizwa ngokuba ‘yibhombu yemichiza elindele ukuqhushumba nanini na.’ Kuyalusongela uluntu.”

Nantsi apho ibuhlungu khona ke, amanzi kwimithombo engaphantsi komhlaba asenokuphela esonakalisa umhlaba ebefanele awunkcenkceshele. Uninzi lweendawo eziyinkqantosi nezo zingenamvula kangako zinetyuwa eninzi. EIndiya naseUnited States—abavelisi bokutya ababini abaphambili ehlabathini—ama-25 ekhulwini omhlaba onkcenkceshelwayo onakaliswe ngendlela engaphaya kwengqondo.

Ukuba Akunankcitho, Akukho Nto Uya Kuyiswela

Phezu kwazo zonke ezi nzima, imeko ibingayi kuba mandundu kakhulu ukuba amanzi akwesi sijikelezi-langa ebexatyiswa aze asetyenziswe ngobuchule. Iindlela ezingezizo zokunkcenkceshela zidla ngokugqiba amanzi angama-60 ekhulwini ngaphambi kokuba afikelele kwizityalo. Ukuba izinto bezinokwenziwa kakuhle—kusetyenziswe ubugcisa obukhoyo—ebenokuncitshiswa ngesiqingatha amanzi asetyenziswa kwimizi-mveliso. Yaye namanzi asetyenziswa kwimizi-mveliso ebenokuncitshiswa ngama-30 ekhulwini ukuba imibhobho eyonakeleyo ibilungiswa ngokukhawuleza.

Iindlela zokulondoloza amanzi zixhomekeke ekubeni abantu bayafuna kusini na ukwenjenjalo nokuba banayo kusini na indlela yokwenza oko. Ngaba zikho izizathu ezivakalayo zokucinga ukuba amanzi axabisekileyo esi sijikelezi-langa aya kulondolozelwa nezizukulwana ezizayo? Inqaku lokugqibela liza kuwuphendula lo mbuzo.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

IHLABATHI LIMI NGAMANZI

Masilikhuphe litsole elokuba imizi-mveliso isebenzisa amanzi amaninzi.

◼ Ukuveliswa kwetoni enye yentsimbi kufuna iitoni ezingama-280 zamanzi.

◼ Ukuvelisa ikhilogram enye yephepha kunokufuna iikhilogram ezingama-700 zamanzi (ukuba loo mzi-mveliso awusebenzisi amanzi akwafanayo).

◼ Ukuze kwenziwe inqwelo-mafutha, kusetyenziswa amanzi abuphinda kangangama-50 ubunzima baloo nqwelo-mafutha.

Nezolimo zinokufuna amanzi amaninzi, ingakumbi ukuba imfuyo ikhulela kwiindawo zomhlaba ezingenamvula kangako.

◼ Ukuze kukhutshwe ikhilogram enye yenyama kwinkomo yenyama yaseKhalifoniya kufuneka iilitha ezingama-20 500 zamanzi.

◼ Ukuvelisa inkukhu enye ekhenkciweyo kufuna ubuncinane iilitha ezingama-26 zamanzi.

[Igrafu/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 24]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

ASETYENZISWA PHI AMANZI?

Kwezolimo 65%

Kwimizi-mveliso 25%

Emakhayeni 10%

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 25]

Izigidi ngezigidi zeelitha zamanzi ziba yinkcitho ngenxa yemithombo evuzayo neempompo ezishiywa nje zingavalwanga

[Inkcazelo]

AP Photo/Richard Drew