Water Pumps for Irrigation

During the past months southern Africa has experienced one of the worst droughts in history. Water pumps have become critical to survival.

Drought and Its Consequences
Southern Africa has been affected by one of the worst droughts in the last 35 years. Consequently, crops have failed, and cattle have died. According to a report by the UN, this drought, followed by delayed rain, and unusually high temperatures are signs of a climate change. In addition, the weather phenomenon, El Niño, made the drought even worse causing extreme weather conditions in the past year.

Air-Lifted Water Pumps
In collaboration with partner organizations, dozens of simple pedal pumps were flown to remote villages. These pumps became very valuable especially during the drought. “In order to ensure that these water pumps work properly, we visit the remote village communities on a regular basis and fix small problems,” reports Mercy Air pilot and agriculture expert Andreas Kuret. “That way we can ensure that in times of water shortage these pumps work reliably.” Village communities are now able to irrigate their fields, an important step towards self-sufficiency.

Thank you.

Joel

For the Mercy Air team