Climate-proofing the Zambesi River

AllAfrica.com, from IRIN: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a USD$ 8 million initiative to help build the disaster resilience of 600,000 people living along the Zambezi river in seven southern African countries. The Zambezi River Basin Initiative (ZRBI) is a response to "a dramatic increase in the numbers of floods along the river basin" according to Farid Abdulkadir, IFRC disaster management coordinator for the southern Africa region. At 2,574 kilometers, the Zambezi is Africa's fourth largest river. Some 80 percent of the 32 million people in the fertile basin depend on agriculture or fishing.

…The focus of the ZRBI, launched on 25 June, would therefore be on disaster preparedness rather than post emergency relief operations: "The Zambezi Initiative aims to break this cycle; to help communities be prepared for these disasters, and to encourage them to take steps to reduce the devastating impact that they have on their lives," he said….

The Zambesi Delta, from the International Space Station