Victoria Falls Reduces To A Trickle, Succumbs To Climate Change Woes

The largest waterfall in the world is now facing the brunt of climate change. Situated in Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is now drying up drastically and is reduced to a mere trickle down the cliff.

A part of the seven natural wonders of the world, this kilometre-long stretch is now nothing but a rock formation with just a small part consisting of the water flowing down from it.

This catastrophic development is coming at a time when the world leaders gather in Madrid for the UN Climate Change Conference to discuss ways to try and battle the menace. The conference concludes on 13 December.

While the flow of the water typically hits a roadblock during the dry season, this year there has been an unprecedented drop in the flow. The reason stated behind it is the drought which has hit the country resulting in the drastic lowering of water levels.

“In previous years, when it gets dry, it is not to this extent. This is our first experience of seeing it like this,” a seller of tourist handicrafts, Dominic Nyambe, told Reuters. He also added that the drying up of the falls will have an adverse impact on tourism.

Tourism is not the only sector which will be hit. Both Zimbabwe and Zambia, where the waterfall spans into, have suffered massive power cuts. They are heavily reliant on the hydropower that is generated by the Kariba Dam situated on the upstream of the waterfall.

Southern Africa is already going through the aftermath of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting in an alarming rate of global warming, Reuters report added. Taps have run dry and around 45 million people are going hungry due to massive crop failures.

With the largest waterfall in the world on the verge of drying up completely, it cannot be a bigger wake-up call for the leaders all around the world to finally understand the toll climate change is taking on the world and take strict actions to combat the crisis.

Also Read: The Water Paradox: How Earlier Drought And Now Rains Are Killing People In Maharashtra