What a contrast! Much of Europe has been living under an unbearable heatwave for several days. The same is true in some Asian countries, while in Central America, football matches during the World Cup had to be interrupted by two cooling breaks due to the suffocating heat, even in most American stadiums that are supposedly air-conditioned. Difficult-to-control fires have ravaged French and Spanish regions due to the heat. On the other hand, several countries are suffering from unusual and deadly floods, including the United States, China, India, and Europe. Typhoon Noul has swept through China and Hong Kong.
In both cases, humanity is powerless against the onslaughts of nature, which are, moreover, the consequences of human folly. These are the inedible fruits of global warming. The globe is turning upside down. The signs are strong enough to challenge the world. Several countries are suffering from drought and water shortages. When the Danube, which flows through ten European countries, reaches its lowest level in half a century, there is cause for concern. The same applies to the Rhine, which jeopardizes the transport of raw materials for chemistry, metallurgy, and energy—transport that land routes cannot replace. Already, the tonnage of ships navigating the Rhine and connecting several countries has had to be significantly reduced.
Even the level of the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized according to the Holy Scriptures, does not benefit from divine blessing against the drought. In Africa, Lake Chad has shrunk from 26,000 square kilometers in 1963 to 1,600 square kilometers today. The Congo River basin is gradually drying up.
In the Indian Ocean, all countries are experiencing water problems. In Madagascar, most Jirama subscribers have been deprived of water for a decade. As a solution, the national water and electricity company is going to carry out a systematic check of meters. One cannot be more brilliant. In the Comoros, water only arrives once every three weeks, while in Mauritius, the tap is turned off two hours a day. In Reunion, some municipalities are completely deprived of water, while watering and car washing are limited. In Mayotte, residents have been suffering from water rationing for years, with a notable decrease in rainfall. Cyclone Chido, in 2024, brought more problems than it solved. In the Seychelles, water is rationed, and residents suffer from nightly cuts, which has a serious impact on tourism, the archipelago’s main source of income.
The paradox in all these situations is that these are islands surrounded by water. Only the Seychelles has a desalination plant, but its capacity is far from meeting the demand. In Madagascar, a similar system was tested in Ambovombe, but the operation had no follow-up. As a result, many expressions will become obsolete, such as “water under the bridge,” “water is life,” “taking the plunge,” “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” and “keeping one’s head above water.” The one that will remain is “water help!”
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-05 05:38:44 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/leau-cest-la-vie-et-la-mort.html