There is no drought yet, Mposha assures
By GIDEON NYENDWA
GREEN Economy and Environment Minister Mike Mposha has said it is too early to call the dry spells that most parts of the country is experiencing another drought.
This is in in contradiction to his own department, the Meteorological Department that has warned that the dry spell being experienced, especially in the southern part of the country was causing serious concern.
Mr Mposha said for now, it was too soon for the farmers and the country at large to panic because for now there has been no official announcement from the Meteorological Department that Zambia was facing a drought.
He said Zambia was still going to receiving normal and above normal rainfall in the northern region.
“As and when the conditions change and suggest otherwise, we will be able to release the information but for now the indications show that we are still okay and we are going to receive normal/above normal rainfall,” Mr Mposha said.
He said the northern region in Muchinga, North-Western and Luapula have already received above 200 millimeters of rains which was very good and in some parts of the it was about a 100 millimeters.
He said the only worry was some districts in Southern Province that have receive below 16 to 30 millimeters which was not good.
Mr Mposha however said there was a pattern that has been observed from areas where it has been raining heavily, the pattern was coming down south slowly and he hopes that by mid-December the matter would be able to cover the whole country.
He said in terms of what the government has earlier projected in terms of rainfall not much has changed on what the country must expect in the 2024/2025 rain season.
Mr Mposha reiterated that famers in the valley areas must delay in the planting up to mid-December because that is when most parts of the country start receiving a lot of rain.
He also assured the famers that the projection of a partial dry spell would not prolong because the country was getting out of it before the projected date.
