We seem to be living in a time when natural disasters are becoming more and more commonplace. Taking a look at just the United States, we have hurricanes that are striking the coastlines from Florida to the Carolinas and all along the Gulf Coast. We have devastating wildfires ravishing California and destroying everything in their path. That isn’t even to mention natural disasters that may take place around the world, including mudslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and the list goes on and on. There is one particular disaster that often goes unnoticed unless you are in the middle of it.
I’m talking about droughts, and it can be perhaps one of the most devastating natural disasters that take place. It doesn’t happen all at once but it occurs over the course of time and when it does happen, it can destroy crops, animals and can make it very difficult to live. Some areas of the world are prone to drought, including the Tsavo West National Park in Kenya, Africa. It experiences a drought every decade or so and the residents of the area feel it severely. Those residents are not humans, they are millions of wild animals that include elephants, rhinoceros, hippos, cheetahs, lions, leopards, buffaloes and many threatened species of birds, plants, and animals.
There are also some humans who live in the area, including Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua. A drought that was occurring in 2017 was having quite an effect on the area and Patrick noticed that the animals in Tsavo West were having a very difficult time because of the lack of water. He is a resident of a nearby village and is a pea farmer. He saw that the effects of climate change were getting worse each and every year so he decided to do something about it.
“We aren’t really receiving rain the way we used to,” he explained. “So I started giving animals water because I thought, ‘If I don’t do that, they will die.’”
Patrick fills a tanker truck every day that he uses on his farm. He hauls 3000 gallons of fresh water several hours into the savanna. The animals hear him coming and they start running to the truck because he knows that they are about to get some life-sustaining water from this kind farmer.
“Last night, I found 500 buffalo waiting at the waterhole. When I arrived they could smell the water… They started drinking water while I was standing there. They get so excited.”
Patrick does more than make his daily deliveries. He also creates gravel lined watering holes with the help of others so that the water won’t seep into the earth before the animals can drink it.
“There is completely no water, so the animals are depending on humans,” Patrick added. “If we don’t help them, they will die.”
Patrick is now known as ‘The Water Man’ by locals. His passion for wildlife conservation is evident and now more than half a million dollars in donations have been set up through a GoFundMe account.
Patrick shows that one person can have an impact on the world. He saw an issue and he did what he could to resolve it. People everywhere are being inspired to take a part. Patrick is focusing on his little area but the work he does as a global influence.
