News stories by James Sauramba

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa, Mar 21 (IPS) - World Water Day calls us all to promote the essential element of life: water. But we must also look this year at the rapidly vanishing sources of freshwater that we depend on, especially glaciers. Although glaciers may be remote for many of us, they are an essential component of the water cycle, nourishing rivers and lakes that are important for millions of people around the world. As precious resources with sources under threat, glaciers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region are an area of focus.

PRETORIA, South Africa, Mar 22 (IPS) - Eng. James Sauramba is Executive Director of the SADC Groundwater Management Institute. Groundwater is invisible and yet its impact is visible everywhere – this infinite resource provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide. About 40% of water for irrigated agriculture and about 1/3 of water required for industry is from groundwater resources. Despite these impressive facts, groundwater remains invisible and less prominent compared to surface water.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa, Aug 19 (IPS) - Even as COVID-19 ravages communities across the continent, climate change is widening the gap between those who have access to water and sanitation - key elements in fighting the pandemic.