USAID: $1M to Africa climate project

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The U.S. development agency said Thursday it has committed $1 million to a project that aims to help people living along southern Africa's Zambezi River cope with worsening natural disasters because of climate change.

The Zambezi River flows from Zambia to Mozambique, passing through places like Botswana and Zimbabwe on its way to the Indian Ocean.

For the 32 million people who live in the Zambezi's basin — some of the world's poorest — the river is a source of transportation, jobs and fertile soil for agriculture. But it also brings misery with a cycle of flood and drought that displaces hundreds of thousands of people annually.

Extreme flooding and dry spells destroy crops and cause food shortages, while receding waters leave cholera, dysentery and malaria.

Climate change is exacerbating the effects of an already precarious situation, according to Red Cross disaster management coordinator Farid Abdulkadir.

"Climate change is real; it is affecting us in Africa and it will get worse over time," he said.

This year's flood season was unusually severe: In Namibia alone, 90 people were killed and more than 276,000 were displaced. Growing concern about the impact of flooding spurred the Red Cross to create the Zambezi River Basin Initiative.

The Red Cross project will coordinate efforts in the seven nations that the river winds through — Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Projects will boost early warning systems and local training for disaster management, as well provide funds for malaria, cholera, and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention projects.

"You're preparing people to adapt to a situation they have to live with for many years to come," Abdulkadir said.

It's the right approach, said Harlan V. Hale, the principal regional adviser for USAID Southern Africa. The agency's $1 million commitment is the first step in funding the $8.6 million three-year initiative. Focusing efforts on prevention and preparedness could save lives, property and disaster response funds.

"It makes good economic sense in the long run," he said.

The Red Cross hopes that the initiative will also highlight the humanitarian impact of climate change in the lead-up to December's climate accord talks in Copenhagen — an event that will coincide with the beginning of another flood season along the Zambezi River.