BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Eswatini is now at an advanced stage of developing ways to deal with natural hazards such as El-Nino.
This was said by Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini today (May 20, 2024) during the Virtual Extra Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on the El-Nino situation. Dlamini said it was high time the country and other SADC countries devised strategies meant to deal with such natural hazards.
“The Kingdom of Eswatini is at an advanced stage of developing an effective multi-hazard early warning system that includes a comprehensive vulnerability assessment methodology. Eswatini is convinced it is time to significantly improve the vulnerability assessment mechanisms. We are poised to be resilient to common natural hazards in the region and we challenge the SADC organ responsible for DRR to expedite strengthening of systems,” Dlamini said.
He said the country acknowledged the need to strengthen the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in all sectors of the economy, as well as innovation and the adoption of technology for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). According to the premier, Eswatini also supported the regional humanitarian appeal in response to the El-Nino induced drought, which had proven to be effective in mobilising resources for drought response in the past.
According to Dlamini, the country had not been spared from the impact of El-Nino, as members of the public experienced different weather and climate related hazards during the 2023/24 rainfall season. The season saw the late onset of rains, extended mid-season dry spells, devastating hailstorms and extreme high temperatures decimating our crops.
Also, farmers were discouraged from undertaking normal agricultural activities because of high uncertainty, as a result of previous experiences of crop failure and massive cattle loss during the 2015/16 El-Nino, according to the prime minister. As a result of the El-Nino induced variability and uncertainty in 2023, grain production declined by 12 percent, compromising national food security.
The country, according to the PM, further experienced storms and strong winds in August, September, October and December of 2023, causing an estimated loss of close to E1 billion, which affected at least 2 526 people, mainly those residing in highlands. Additionally, the country recently lost 10% of its GDP due to both natural and man-made hazards, half of which was accounted for by COVID-19 and related supply chain disruptions, including El Niño impacts and tropical cyclones.
The increasing intensity and frequency of dry spells and drought, according to the premier, pointed to the need to reduce dependency on hydro power generation but to improve on the ratio for the country’s energy mix. “In that light, the prime minister said Eswatini would continue to explore clean energy technology for the use of our abundant natural resources, including coal, geo-thermal and solar to generate electricity. We welcome calls for support to develop and implement waste energy to close the energy deficiency,” Dlamini said.
