Climate change as a security threat to our country

Richard Moleofe | Friday February 21, 2014 16:57

Speaking to The Observer, on the raging floods that affected millions of people in Britain recently, British Labour Party leader Ed Milliband said: “Climate change is now an issue of national security. Climate change is a key factor in extreme weather, and failure to address it will have catastrophic consequences.”

As the science linking extreme weather to climate change is overwhelming, the million-pula question here is: Is Botswana ready to tackle this global problem? This country has experienced its share of extreme weather where lives were lost. Botswana Defence Force troops are always in the forefront in rescue operations to save lives and property. Perhaps the two most notable ones are the floods of Palapye and the famous Operation Save Sowa. There is no need to discuss the Palapye operation in detail as it was run in full view. Botswana troops worked tirelessly all day and night to achieve exactly what they were sent to do.

However, members of the public know very little about Operation Save Sowa primarily because it was conducted in a remote and isolated location. At that time, the rains had inundated the salt lake that usually traps all the water brought in by different rivers into Sowa Pans. As the lake filled, the rising waters became a threat to the nearby soda ash plant, prompting the management of the soda ash mine to send an SOS call to the BDF. In no time, the army was deployed en mass, and the troops worked around the clock and saved the whole plant and equipment. As we watched the destruction brought on by the elements in Britain just days ago, we are compelled to ask how ready our government is to tackle a disaster of a similar magnitude. The parts of Britain that came under the recent deluge are relatively flat, making them similar to Botswana. We saw in the UK floods that soldiers continue to play a critical role in times of disasters. Critics of the UK government have had a field day finding fault in the manner in which the rescue operations were conducted. It seems co-ordination was the main challenge throughout. However, the prime minister himself was hands-on, breaking his schedule to visit different sites of the floods.

Considering that climate change is a global phenomenon, the Government of Botswana must draw lessons from the ongoing disaster management interventions in the UK. We obviously could be next as weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme. As a country, we need to assess our capacity to deal with such catastrophes when they occur. The big question is whether we have sufficiently invested in the right resources, such as helicopters and airboats instead of fighter jets and obsolete tanks. It is interesting that the inventor of the Sikorsky helicopter, which is the premier short range transport for the President of the United States, had in mind a rescue vehicle for times of floods and related natural and man-made disasters. He certainly did not imagine an attack helicopter raining down missiles on enemy combatants was suitable.

As a country, we need to set our priorities right in the manner in which we prepare and conduct rescue operations in times of disaster. This must begin when the Minister of Finance shares and distributes the national cake. The way we fund our healthcare system should also reflect disaster management. How the military arranges its priorities must define our preparedness for such critical times. For instance, if our army does not see the need to build its intervention capacity by buying more helicopters and airboats, it will be unable to fulfill its role in times of disaster.

Training more paramedics is more critical than investing in so-called schools of excellence that will be of no use in times of disaster. Unfortunately, many people do not recognise the need for the military to be rescue-ready until they are victims themselves.

Taking it from the British experience, Botswana will need to up its game in the manner in which we do our planning for disaster intervention. This should be clearly reflected in our national budget which must desist from diverting disaster management funds to an intelligence outfit that can surely wait for another time when times are not as hard as now.

*Rev. Richard Moleofe is a political and social commentator.