Humans can adapt to changes that could be either Positive or Negative. Charcoal is produced by a process called charcoal burning. It is done by slow pyrolysis through the heating of wood or other organic materials in the absence of oxygen. And it is used for Varies activities, especially cooking, although it may be used to treat poisoning, reduce gas and promote kidney function. Trees are cut to produce Charcoal, which has become an essential commodity in Zimbabwe, and its demand has increased.
Zibanwians had to look for cooking alternatives due to the inconsistent power supply. The price of gas shot up and left the people with no other choice than to turn to charcoal for cooking. Yes, there is no doubt that Deforestation has enormous implications, but then man has to survive one way or the other. Some African countries are struggling with unemployment, but Zimbabwe is struggling with the worst economic crisis.
Zimbabwe’s Struggle For Power And Charcoal.
One could wonder why a nation could experience a power shortage for so long a time that is affecting its economy. The fact is the problem did not start today, it has been there for some time, and it kept growing worse with the passing years. It became from 10hrs power outage to an 18hours outage. This has been a struggle for the nation to generate enough power supply. Zimbabwe has one hydro-power plant and four coal-fired generators whose capacity is 2,240Mw, enough to meet the country’s need. However, The country launched another 300 MW last year, but it is only producing the third quarter of its purpose of design. Drought is affecting the power generated by this 300 MW because of the low water level in the Dam.
In the previous decade, six power generators, which included solar power, were signed in an agreement. This project would have added more than 3,000 MW to the grid of new electricity, but the project failed because of a lack of funding. The nation’s high political risk profile and bureaucracy also harmed the project. In 1980 the biggest coal-fired plant was built at Hwange, but it started functioning last year. With this, another 600 MW was added to the nation’s supply, although it is struggling to stay afloat. The negotiation of the country with India’s Export and Import Bank staggered; hence, efforts to repair and upgrade the generators are affected. And the nation’s smaller coal-fired plants with 270 MW capacity, which could have increased the nation’s grid, are down.
Effects Of Power Outage In Zimbabwe
Power outage in Zimbabwe, if not curtailed, would cause a lot of economic problems to the nation because it needs the power to produce. The country becomes crippled in the area of production; for example, Zimbabwe is the largest exporter of Gold. And the government has the drive to increase output, but without power, the drive can not be achieved. Zimbabwe is the third-largest producer of platinum in the world after South Africa and Russia, and they need the power to continue manufacturing. Farming is at stake, especially those in the process of planting irrigated winter wheat, one of the country’s staple crops.
Conclusion
Zimbabwe has reached out to other African countries like Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Namibia for supplies. But Zimbabwe may not have enough money to secure power supplies from its neighbor because of the shortage in Dollar. Efforts are being made to replace officials, licenses, solar power projects, and other projects to solve the problem of outage http://africanews.com. While the government and looking for solutions, its citizens have turned to charcoal for survival. Many have done business out of charcoal, while others are simply consumers. The importance of power can not be overemphasis. It is a factor for excellent business development.