Isimo Sezulu—Ingabe Kukhona Okonakele Ngaso?

“LAPHO abantu ababili abangamaNgisi behlangana, into yokuqala abaxoxa ngayo, yisimo sezulu.” Wantela kanjalo umlobi odumile uSamuel Johnson. Nokho, eminyakeni yamuva isimo sezulu sesiye saba yinto engaphezu nje kokuba yindlela yokuqala ingxoxo. Siye saba indaba abantu emhlabeni wonke abakhathazeke kakhulu ngayo. Kungani? Kungenxa yokuthi isimo sezulu—ebesilokhu singabikezeleki kakade—sibonakala siguquguquka kakhulu.

Ngokwesibonelo, phakathi nehlobo lika-2002, eYurophu kwaba neziphepho ezinkulu ngendlela engavamile. Eqinisweni, zabangela izikhukhula ezachazwa ngokuthi “izikhukhula ezimbi kunazo zonke eminyakeni eyikhulu eYurophu ephakathi.” Phawula le mibiko yezindaba elandelayo:

E-AUSTRIA: “Izifundazwe zaseSalzburg, eCarinthia, naseTirol zahlaselwa kakhulu yiziphepho ezimbi. Imigwaqo eminingi yayibishe odakeni, izingqimba zodaka nezibi ziphakeme ngamamitha angu-15. Esiteshini saseVienna okuthiwa iSüdbahnhof, isiphepho esasikhashwa ukuduma kwezulu sabangela ingozi yesitimela okwalimala kuyo abantu abaningana.”

ECZECH REPUBLIC: “IPrague iye yabhekana nesimo esihlasimulisayo. Kodwa le nhlekelele iye yaba yimbi nakakhulu ezifundazweni. Abantu abangu-200 000 baye basuswa emakhaya abo. Amadolobha aye asitshekelwa yizikhukhula ngokuphelele.”

EFRANCE: “Kufe abantu abangu-23, abangu-9 akwaziwa ukuthi baphi, abayizinkulungwane bakhahlamezeke kakhulu . . . Abantu abathathu bashaywe umphezulu bafa ngezikhukhula zangoMsombuluko. . . . Isisebenzi sezomlilo sifile ngemva kokutakula umbhangqwana obusosizini; ubukhukhulwe amanzi usemotweni yawo.”

EJALIMANE: “Kuyaqala emlandweni weJalimane ukuba kukhishwe abantu emadolobheni nasemadolobhaneni ngezinga okwenzeke ngalo manje phakathi nalesi ‘sikhukhula sekhulu leminyaka.’ Izinkulungwane zezakhamizi zibalekile emadolobheni ezihlala kuwo. Eziningi zibaleke ngoba zigwema ingozi. Ezinye zitakulwe ezikhukhuleni sekubucayi ngezikebhe noma ngezindiza ezinophephela emhlane.”

EROMANIA: “Iziphepho sezidlule cishe nemiphefumulo engaphezu kweshumi kusukela maphakathi no-July.”

ERUSSIA: “Okungenani kufe abantu abangu-58 ezingwini zoLwandle Olumnyama . . . Izimoto ezingaba ngu-30 namabhasi ziphansi olwandle, futhi ayikho indlela yokuzithungatha njengoba kukhishwe izixwayiso zokuthi kungenzeka kube neziphepho ezintsha.”

Azenzeki EYurophu Kuphela

Ngo-August 2002 iphephandaba lansuku zonke laseJalimane i-Süddeutsche Zeitung labika: “Izimvula neziphepho zohlobo olusha e-Asia, eYurophu naseNingizimu Melika zidale omkhulu umonakalo. NgoLwesithathu kufe okungenani abantu abangu-50 lapho kudilika inhlabathi eNepal. Isiphepho sibulale abantu abangu-8 eningizimu yeChina futhi sabangela uzamcolo wemvula maphakathi neChina. Izikhukhula zaseChina zenze uMfula iMekong wadla izindwani ngendlela ebingakaze yenzeke eminyakeni engu-30, usibekele izindlu ezingaphezu kwekhulu enyakatho-mpumalanga yeThailand. . . . E-Argentina okungenani kuminze abantu abahlanu ngemva kwezimvula ezinkulu. . . . Kuze kube manje, sekufe abantu abangaphezu kwenkulungwane ngenxa yeziphepho zasehlobo eChina.”

Ngenkathi amazwe amaningi omhlaba ehlushwa ngamanzi, izwe lase-United States lona lalibhekene nesomiso esibi. Nakhu okwabikwa: “Kunokukhathazeka ezweni lonke ngokuncipha noma ngokusha kwamanzi emithonjeni, amanzi anciphile emifudlaneni eminingi, kanti sekube nemililo yequbula esiphinda kabili isibalo esivamile kule nkathi yonyaka. Ngenxa yokonakala kokudla emasimini nokwamadlelo, ukuntuleka kwamanzi okuphuza, imililo yequbula nezishingishane zothuli, izazi zibikezela ukuthi isomiso sika-2002 singase sibe yizindleko ezinkulu emnothweni ezibalelwa ezinkulungwaneni zezigidi zama-dollar.”

Izingxenye ezithile zenyakatho ye-Afrika nazo bezilokhu zibhekene nesomiso esibhubhisayo kusukela ngawo-1960. Ngokwemibiko, “isilinganiso semvula etholakele siye saba phansi kunasengxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lama-20 ngamaphesenti asukela kwangu-20 kuya kwangu-49, okubangela indlala nokufa ezindaweni eziningi.”

Isimo sezulu esibangelwa u-El Niño—esidalwa ukushisa kwamanzi empumalanga yolwandlekazi iPacific—njalo ngezikhathi ezithile sibangela izikhukhula nokunye ukuphazamiseka kwesimo sezulu eMelika eseNyakatho neseNingizimu.a Inhlangano yezindaba i-CNN ibika ukuthi u-El Niño ka-1983 no-1984 “wabangela ukufa kwabantu abangaphezu kwenkulungwane, wabangela nezinhlekelele ezihlobene nesimo sezulu cishe kuwo wonke amazwekazi, kwaba nomonakalo wempahla nemfuyo obalelwa ezigidini eziyizinkulungwane eziyishumi zama-dollar [izigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-80 zamaRandi].” Lesi senzakalo siye sagadla njalo (cishe njalo ngemva kweminyaka emine) selokhu sahlonzwa ekhulwini le-19 leminyaka. Kodwa ezinye izazi zikholelwa ukuthi “u-El Niño usenyusile isibalo sezikhathi agadla ngazo” nokuthi esikhathini esizayo “usezogadla kaningana kunangaphambili.”

Isihloko esakhishwa yi-National Aeronautics and Space Administration yase-United States siqinisekisa ngalokhu: “Okuningi kwaleso simo sezulu ‘esiyinqaba’ ebesilokhu siba naso—lokho kushisa okungavamile ekwindla noma lobo busika obunezimvula ngokungajwayelekile—kubangelwa izinguquko zesimo sezulu ezivamile zezifunda.” Noma kunjalo, kunezimpawu zokuthi kungenzeka kunenkinga enkulu ekhona. Inhlangano elwela ukulondolozwa kwemvelo i-Greenpeace iyabikezela: “Isimo sezulu esiyingozi kuhlanganise neziphepho ezinamandla nezimvula ezinkulu kuyoqhubeka kudala umonakalo emhlabeni wonke. Izomiso nezikhukhula ezinkulu kakhulu zizobushintsha ngokoqobo ubuso boMhlaba, kuholele ekupheleni kwezindawo ezisezingwini nasekubhujisweni kwamahlathi.” Sikhona yini isizathu esizwakalayo sokusho lokhu? Uma sikhona, sibangelwa yini ‘lesi simo sezulu esiyingozi’?

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Izithombe ekhasini 2, 3]

Izikhukhula eJalimane (ngenhla) naseCzech Republic (kwesobunxele)