The World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Climate in Africa 2019 report has just confirmed some dreadful news for South Africa – drought and extreme heat conditions are set to persist until at least 2024.

Globally, there is an imbalance between water availability and water demand. The main cause of this mismatch is agricultural irrigation, which accounts for about 70% of freshwater withdrawal.

To provide irrigation facilities to areas that are not even able to cultivate one crop annually, India’s Karnataka state has developed the world’s biggest automated single drip irrigation project in the Bagalkot district.

Water. We drink it each and every day (hopefully) and without it, we could not exist. However, the water we rely on for our health may also be giving us unknown doses of drugs without us realizing it. 

N-Drip combines flood irrigation with the high yields and precision of conventional drip systems. Its technology makes use of existing field infrastructure without the need for pumps or filters, as used in existing precision irrigation technologies.

South Africa's wetlands play a key role in climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction, writes Alanna Rebelo. Part of the answer to surviving climate change may be South Africa's wetlands.