Pollution in Zambezi

The Zambezi river is the fourth largest river in Africa after the Nile, Niger and Congo rivers. The seven major rivers in Africa are: Nile, Niger, Senegal, Congo, Orange, Limpopo and Zambezi. Water is an extremely imperative resource for survival and therefore serious efforts should be made to preserve its purity.

According to the Nature Conservancy more than 42 million people and diverse wildlife depend on the Zambezi river for survival. However deforestation, incompatible agricultural practices, water pollution, unmanaged fire, mine wastes and many others have taken a toll. Another major problem is drought which is a result of warmer temperatures due to global warming. Even though Africa has contributed little to the effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, temperatures have increased in the continent in the last century with the last decade being the warmest. The Zambezi region is affected by a high poverty rate and HIV that is why it is crucial that ecological problems of this nature be solved to sustain the lives of the people. For more details on the geographical properties of the Zambezi river and region and ideas and solutions to the problems it currently faces please visit:

http://www.riversymposium.com/index.php?element=Tumbare+M

Side note: Many groups in the United States are "going green". I participated in a couple of going green events in NYC in commemoration of Earth Day. The enthusiasm and support of hundreds of people was inspiring. There's still a lot that needs to be done however a significant decrease in greenhouse emissions in a country like the U.S has a major impact on global warming in Africa and the rest of the world.