Ngaba Ihlabathi Liyawagqiba Amanzi?
“Ukufumana amanzi acocekileyo, akhuselekileyo nawaneleyo kuyimfanelo esisiseko yabantu bonke ukuze baphile kamnandi ekuhlaleni nangokwezoqoqosho. Noko ke, senza ngathi amanzi maninzi. Kanti akunjalo.”—UKOFI ANNAN, USOSIBA-JIKELELE WEZIZWE EZIMANYENEYO.
RHOQO emini emaqanda ngooLwezine kule minyaka iliwaka idluleyo, inkundla ekhethekileyo iye yadibanisa iintloko kwisixeko saseSpeyin esaziwa ngokuba yiValencia. Umsebenzi wayo kukucombulula iingxaki eziphathelele amanzi.
Abalimi bentili echumileyo yaseValencia baxhomekeke ekunkcenkcesheleni, yaye ukunkcenkceshela kufuna amanzi amaninzi—yaye akanelanga kule nxalenye yeSpeyin. Abalimi bakhala kule nkundla ijongene namanzi nanini bevakalelwa kukuba abafumani manzi aneleyo. Iingxaki zamanzi aziyonto intsha, kodwa azifane ziconjululwe ngendlela eyiyo njengaseValencia.
Malunga neminyaka engama-4 000 eyadlulayo, kwavela ingxabano eshushu phakathi kwabelusi ngokuphathelele ichibi elikufutshane neBher-sheba kwaSirayeli. (Genesis 21:25) Yaye iingxaki zamanzi kuMbindi Mpuma bezimandundu ukususela ngelo xesha. Iinkokeli zalapho ezimbini ezidumileyo ziye zathi amanzi ayeyona nto enokuzikhokelela ekubeni zivuse imfazwe neLizwe eliselumelwaneni.
Kumazwe angafumani mvula kangako ehlabathini, amanzi ebedla ngokuba ngundaba-mlonyeni. Kumele kube njalo: Amanzi abubomi. Ngokutsho kukaKofi Annan, “amanzi acocekileyo axabisekile: asinakuze siphile ngaphandle kwawo. Akanakumelwa yenye into: akukho nto inokuwathabathela indawo. Ayagxobheka: izinto ezenziwa ngabantu zinento eziyenzayo kwisixa nomgangatho wamanzi acocekileyo.”
Namhlanje kunanini na ngaphambili, isixa nomgangatho wamanzi acocekileyo esi sijikelezi-langa zisengozini. Asifanele siqhathwe kukubona ngathi amanzi maninzi kwiindawo zehlabathi ezinethamsanqa.
Uvimba Unamanzi Ashokoxekileyo
Isekela likaSosiba-Jikelele weZizwe Ezimanyeneyo uElizabeth Dowdeswell uthi: “Enye yezona zinto zixakayo ngabantu yile yokuba izinto sizixabisa xa zinqabile. Amanzi siwaxabisa kuphela xa kusoma amaqula. Yaye amaqula ayoma, kungekuphela nje kwiindawo ezidla ngokuba nembalela kodwa nakwiindawo ezingenangxaki yokuphelelwa ngamanzi.”
Abo banqatyelwa ngamanzi mihla le bayazi kakuhle le ngxaki. UAsokan, osebenza eziofisini eMadras, eIndiya, udla ngokuvuka kwiiyure ezimbini ngaphambi kokuthi qheke kokusa ntsasa nganye. Ethwele iiemele ezintlanu, udla ngokuya kwimpompo kawonke-wonke, ehamba imizuzu emihlanu ngaphambi kokufika kuyo. Ekubeni amanzi efumaneka kuphela phakathi kweyesi-4:00 neyesi-6:00 ekuseni, kuye kufuneke abe lapho kuselithuba. Kuye kufuneke akhe amanzi aya kuhlala imini yonke. Amanye amaIndiya—nabanye abangamawaka ezigidi kwesi sijikelezi-langa—abathamsanqelekanga njengaye. Abanazimpompo, imilambo, okanye amaqula kufutshane namakhaya abo.
UAbdullah, inkwenkwe ehlala kummandla waseSahel eAfrika, ngomnye wabo bantu. Umqondiso wendlela owalatha ilali yakowabo uyichaza njengendawo echumileyo; kodwa kudala kungekho manzi apho, yaye kunqabe nemithi. UAbdullah unomsebenzi wokukhelela intsapho yakowabo amanzi kwiqula elikumgama omalunga nekhilomitha.
Kwezinye iindawo ehlabathini, kuye kwafuneka amanzi acocekileyo angaphezu kwalawo akhoyo. Nalapho isizathu sicacile: Abantu abaninzi bahlala kwiindawo ezingumqwebedu nezingenamvula kangako, apho kudala amanzi enqabile. (Bona imaphu ekwiphepha 19.) Ngokutsho kweStockholm Environment Institute, isinye kwisithathu sabemi behlabathi sele behlala kwimimandla enamanzi ashokoxekileyo. Yaye abantu bawafuna ngokwenene amanzi, ngomlinganiselo owuphinda kabini lowo wokwanda kwabemi.
Kwelinye icala umthamo wamanzi umi ndaweni nye. Amaqula anzulu nemithombo emitsha inokuzisa isiqabu sexeshana, kodwa umlinganiselo wemvula enayo emhlabeni nomlinganiselo wamanzi agcinwe ngaphantsi komhlaba uhlala unjalo. Ngenxa yoko, iingcali ngemozulu ziqikelela ukuba kwisithuba seminyaka engama-25, umlinganiselo wamanzi afumaneka kumntu ngamnye osemhlabeni usenokuhla ngesiqingatha.
Igalelo Lale Meko Kwimpilo Nasekutyeni
Ukunqongophala kwamanzi kubachaphazela njani abantu? Okokuqala, kuchaphazela impilo yabo. Akuthiwa babulawa lunxano; kunoko, ukupheka nokusela amanzi akumgangatho ophantsi kunokubagulisa. UElizabeth Dowdeswell uthi “malunga nama-80 ekhulwini azo zonke izifo nangaphezu kwesinye kwisithathu sabo bonke abantu abafayo kumazwe asakhasayo zibangelwa ngamanzi angcolileyo.” Kumazwe asakhasayo angenamvula kangako, amanzi adla ngokungcoliswa lilindle labantu okanye elezilwanyana, izinto zokubulala izinambuzane, izichumiso, okanye imichiza yemizi-mveliso. Intsapho ehlwempuzekileyo isenokunyanzeleka ukuba isebenzise amanzi angacocekanga ngolo hlobo.
Kanye njengokuba imizimba yethu ifuna amanzi ukuze ikhuphe ilindle, kufuneka amanzi amaninzi ukuze kubekho iinkqubo ezifanelekileyo zogutyulo—manzi lawo angafunyanwayo luninzi lwabantu. Inani labantu abangenankqubo zifanelekileyo zogutyulo liye lenyuka lisuka kwisi-2,6 samawaka ezigidi ngowe-1990 ukuya kutsho kwisi-2,9 samawaka ezigidi ngowe-1997. Eli nani phantse libe lisisiqingatha sabantu abakwesi sijikelezi-langa. Yaye inkqubo yogutyulo ngumbandela wokufa nokuphila. Ngamxhelo-mnye, amagosa eZizwe Ezimanyeneyo uCarol Bellamy noNitin Desai balumkisa ngelithi: “Xa abantwana bengafumani manzi acocekileyo okusela nawogutyulo, impilo nokukhula kwabo kuphantse kube sengozini.”
Ukuveliswa kokutya kuxhomekeke emanzini. Kakade ke, izityalo ezininzi zikhuliswa ngamanzi emvula, kodwa kutshanje kuye kwasetyenziswa ngamandla ukunkcenkceshela ukuze kondliwe abemi abandayo behlabathi. Namhlanje ama-36 ekhulwini esivuno sehlabathi axhomekeke ekunkcenkcesheleni. Kodwa xa uwonke ummandla wehlabathi onkcenkceshelwayo nolinyiweyo, wafikelela incopho yawo kwiminyaka engama-20 eyadlulayo, yaye ubuncipha ukususela ngelo xesha.
Ukuba iimpompo ezisemakhayeni ethu zikhupha amanzi amaninzi yaye izindlu zethu zangasese zicocekile yaye ziyakwazi ukugungxula ilindle, kusenokuba nzima ukukholelwa ukuba ihlabathi alinawo amanzi awaneleyo. Noko ke, sifanele sikhumbule ukuba ngama-20 ekhulwini kuphela anandipha ezo ngenelo. EAfrika, amabhinqa amaninzi achitha iiyure ezimalunga nezintandathu ngosuku esiya kukha amanzi—yaye loo manzi adla ngokungcola. La mabhinqa ayiqonda kakuhle intlungu yokuba: Amanzi acocekileyo nakhuselekileyo anqabile, yaye ahambela phambili nokunqaba.
Ngaba ezobugcisa zinokuyicombulula le ngxaki? Ngaba imithombo yamanzi inokusetyenziswa ngoqoqosho? Aye phi amanzi? Amanqaku alandelayo aza kuyiphendula le mibuzo.
[Ibhokisi/Umzobo okwiphepha 20]
APHO AKHOYO AMANZI ACOCEKILEYO
Malunga nama-97 ekhulwini amanzi asemhlabeni akwiilwandlekazi yaye anetyuwa gqitha ukuba angaselwa, ukulima nokuvelisa izinto.
Kuphela amalunga nesi-3 ekhulwini amanzi asemhlabeni acocekileyo. Noko ke, uninzi lwawo alufumaneki lula, njengoko umfanekiso olandelayo ubonisa.
[Umzobo]
(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)
Umkhenkce nekhephu Ngama-68.7%
Amanzi angaphantsi komhlabrya Ngama-30.1%
Umkhenkce ongaphantsi komhlaba Ngu-0.9%
Amachibi, imilambo, nemigxobhozo Ngu-0.3%
[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 21]
INGXAKI YAMANZI
◼ UNGCOLISO EPoland kuphela sisi-5 ekhulwini samanzi asemlanjeni akufanelekelayo ukuselwa, yaye ama-75 ekhulwini kuwo angcolile yaye akanakusetyenziswa nakwimizi-mveliso.
◼ AMANZI ASEZIDOLOPHINI KwisiXeko saseMexico, isixeko esiza kwindawo yesibini ngobukhulu ehlabathini, amadama, ekuthathwa kuwo ama-80 ekhulwini amanzi esi sixeko aphelelwa ngamanzi. Ngaphezu kwama-50 ekhulwini amanzi ayampontshwa kunokuba afumaneke emvuleni. IBeijing, elikomkhulu laseTshayina, inengxaki efanayo. Imithombo yayo ihla kangangemitha ngonyaka, yaye isinye kwisithathu samaqula ayo aye oma.
◼ UKUNKCENKCESHELA Umthombo omkhulu waseOgallala eUnited States wome kangangokuba umhlaba onkcenkceshelwayo kumntla-ntshona Texas uye wakwindawo yesithathu ngenxa yokuswela amanzi. ITshayina neIndiya, amazwe akwindawo yesibini neyesithathu ngokuvelisa ukutya, ajamelene nengxaki efanayo. Kwilizwe laseIndiya elikumazantsi alapho iTamil Nadu, ukunkcenkceshela kuye kwabangela ukuba imithombo ihle kangangeemitha ezingama-23 kwiminyaka elishumi.
◼ IMILAMBO IYAPHELA Ebudeni bembalela, umlambokazi iGanges awusangeni elwandle, kuba onke amanzi awo ayatshintshwa ngaphambi kokungena elwandle. Kunjalo nangoMlambo iColorado kuMntla Merika.
[Imaphu ekwiphepha 19]
(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)
APHO AMANZI ASHOKOXEKE KHONA
Iindawo ezinqatyelwe ngamanzi