India Is Drying Up! / Towns "Falling Apart" in South Africa

India Is Drying Up!

“India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and around 600 million people face a severe water shortage” (The Independent, June 17, 2018). Roughly 200,000 people die in India every year due to lack of clean water, and 21 cities—including some of India’s largest—are expected to run out of water in just two years. Experts project India’s water demand will be twice as much as the supply by the year 2030!
Poor infrastructure for water distribution and the high priority given to farming leaves people very thirsty when rains fail to come. Exploitation and mismanagement are additional causes for the water crisis. Water in India is cheap, and few value it as a resource, resulting in the current problem. “India uses 3 to 5x more water than China, US and Israel to produce the same crops” (The Times of India, June 26, 2018).
India has over 1.4 billion people—nearly 20 percent of the earth’s entire population. Yet, by 2030, 40 percent of the population will have no drinking water. Wise management, desalinization and better infrastructure can help a little, but from a human perspective, the future is daunting. However, Bible prophecies offer real hope when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Isaiah prophesied of a future time of abundance when “[t]he wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad… and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (35:1) when “waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:6). During this future time, when all nations learn to fear and obey His laws, they will enjoy the favor of the One who is able to give rain in its season (cf. Leviticus 26:4). To learn more about this exciting future, read or listen to “Times of Refreshing.”

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Towns "Falling Apart" in South Africa
 


According to the Co-operative Governance Ministry of South Africa, “More than 60 percent of the 257 municipalities are categorized as dysfunctional or almost dysfunctional” (Bloomberg, June 14, 2018). A recent government report revealed that only 33 of the 257 municipalities received a clean audit last year—just 13 percent! Local community residents complain about growing problems with trash and sanitation, crumbling roads, failing infrastructure and a lack of jobs. Many people are leaving the countryside and moving into cities to find work.
As in other nations, much of South Africa’s infrastructure and social programs rely on tax revenue. South Africa’s tax agency was once a world-class institution and responsible for much of the success of the nation. However, under the previous administration, tax evasion was rampant and even occurred at the highest levels of government (The New York Times, June 10, 2018). As a result, many South Africans have lost trust in the government and are not paying taxes. When leaders in government are corrupt, that corruption spreads through the system, and today, South Africans are paying the price for that corruption.
The book of Proverbs states, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2). When leaders are corrupt and do not value truth and honesty, their followers will suffer. South Africa is not alone in this. As a professing “Christian” nation that is aware of the Ten Commandments, the leaders and people of South Africa are responsible to God for what they know. The Bible warns, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock” (Ezekiel 34:2–3). The encouraging news is that a better time is coming when Jesus Christ returns and sets up righteous leaders around the globe! This will produce peace and order like never before. The suffering of South Africa and other nations will end! For more insight about the future of mankind, read or listen to The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?