Hydrometeorological extremes, such as droughts, are a major threat to society and can have extensive damaging effects. In this study, daily rainfall estimates from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) quasi-global rainfall dataset were used to calculate the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) for the assessment of meteorological drought in Southern Province, Zambia. Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery (250 m resolution) from MODIS-Terra, for the period 2000-2021, were used to derive the Standardised Vegetation Index (SVI) in order to assess agricultural drought. The Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope were used to determine the spatial-temporal trends and their magnitudes. This study demonstrated that the droughts of the Southern Province of Zambia can be classified into two categories: regressive and aggressive droughts. Regressive droughts are associated with moderate to strong El Nino events. Although El Ni & ntilde;o events undermine water security, regressive droughts tend to result in resilient vegetation owing to residue soil moisture. In contrast, aggressive droughts are characterised by an increase in drought intensity as the season progresses. Water security prospects in the region should focus on climate-smart approaches, such as managed aquifer recharge, to ensure water availability even under extreme drought conditions.

Environmental degradation due to human economic activities is closely linked to poverty in developing countries and can have long-term effects on well-being and sustainable development. This study investigates the nexus between toxic pollution and poverty by examining the economic impacts of lead (Pb) exposure on household welfare in Kabwe, Zambia. Kabwe, once a lead and zinc mining center, is now one of the world's most polluted urban areas, with high soil and air lead levels posing substantial health risks. We conducted a household survey and collected blood samples, matching socioeconomic data with blood lead levels (BLLs). Our empirical strategy uses variations in soil lead concentration across Kabwe neighborhoods to assess the causal impact of lead exposure on household welfare dimensions, such as consumption, education, health, and labor supply. Results show that a 1% increase in adult BLLs reduces per capita household consumption by 0.1-0.2% and increases the probability of being below the poverty line. Additionally, BLLs negatively affect adult health and children's schooling, while healthcare costs and labor supply remain unaffected. These findings suggest that lead exposure exacerbates poverty, hinders human capital accumulation, and has long-lasting implications for sustainable development.

This paper describes the lithic aggregates from Sitwe 23 (SW23), a Stone Age locality in a previously unstudied region of the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia. This area yielded two surface lithic scatters containing abundant artifacts derived from Pleistocene sediments on uplifted terrain and exposed by recent erosion on two adjacent terraces. The scatters are time-averaged palimpsests formed by deflation, but most of the lithics lack evidence of significant fluvial transport or post-depositional damage, indicating minimal horizontal displacement. Typological and attribute analyses of samples from both spurs reveal predominantly simple and expedient core and flake technologies, as well as sophisticated biface manufacture and Levallois technique producing flakes and points that are differentially distributed between the terraces. The artifacts identified in this analysis include types conventionally considered diagnostic of the Acheulean, Sangoan, and Middle Stone Age, suggesting that the collections may document one or more temporal windows during the Chibanian age (770-126 ka). Whether artifacts in these samples were originally deposited sequentially or concurrently is not yet known and alternative hypotheses are presented and discussed. The collections are compared to sites in Zambia and the northern Lake Malawi basin and found to be similar technologically but typologically different. Given the paucity of previously known Ston Age archaeological sites in the region, our work now demonstrates that northern Luangwa has significant archaeological potential and deserves further study. Cet article d & eacute;crit les agr & eacute;gats lithiques de Sitwe 23 (SW23), un site de l'Acirc;ge de pierre situ & eacute; dans une r & eacute;gion auparavant non & eacute;tudi & eacute;e de la vall & eacute;e septentrionale de Luangwa en Zambie. Deux dispersions lithiques en surface, sur deux terrasses adjacentes, ont & eacute;t & eacute; identifi & eacute;es sur un terrain sur & eacute;lev & eacute; et expos & eacute;s par une & eacute;rosion r & eacute;cente, chacune contenant de nombreux artefacts provenant de s & eacute;diments pl & eacute;istoc & egrave;nes. Ces dispersions sont des palimpsestes moyenn & eacute;s dans le temps, form & eacute;s par d & eacute;flation, mais la plupart des artefacts lithiques ne montrent pas d'& eacute;vidences de transport fluvial significatif ou de dommages post-d & eacute;positionnels, indiquant un d & eacute;placement horizontal minimal. Les analyses typologiques et d'attributs des deux zones r & eacute;v & egrave;lent la pr & eacute;dominance d'une technologie d'& eacute;clats et de nucleus simple et exp & eacute;ditive, combin & eacute;e & agrave; une fabrication sophistiqu & eacute;e de bifaces ainsi que d'& eacute;clats et de pointes de technique Levallois qui sont r & eacute;partis de mani & egrave;re diff & eacute;rentielle entre les terrasses. Les artefacts identifi & eacute;s dans cette analyse comprennent des types g & eacute;n & eacute;ralement consid & eacute;r & eacute;s comme diagnostiques de l'Acheul & eacute;en, du Sangoan et du Middle Stone Age, sugg & eacute;rant que les collections pourraient documenter une ou plusieurs fen & ecirc;tres temporelles du Chibanien (770-126 ka). Comme on ignore si ces art & eacute;facts ont & eacute;t & eacute; d & eacute;pos & eacute;s de mani & egrave;re s & eacute;quentielle ou simultan & eacute;e, diff & eacute;rentes hypoth & egrave;ses sont pr & eacute;sent & eacute;es et discut & eacute;es. Des comparaisons de ces collections & agrave; d'autres sites en Zambie et dans le bassin septentrional du lac Malawi r & eacute;v & egrave;lent qu'elles sont technologiquement similaires mais typologiquement diff & eacute;rentes. Compte tenu du manque de sites arch & eacute;ologiques de l'Acirc;ge de pierre connus dans la r & eacute;gion, nos travaux d & eacute;montrent d & eacute;sormais que le nord de vall & eacute;e de la Luangwa poss & egrave;de un potentiel arch & eacute;ologique significatif et m & eacute;rite des recherches suppl & eacute;mentaires.

Background The Lupande Game Management Area (GMA) and the adjacent South Luangwa National Park (NP) in Zambia allow comparison of fire regimes in African savannas with different human densities.Aims To investigate humans' effects on fire regimes within a sub-Saharan savanna ecosystem.Methods We delineated burned areas for the Lupande GMA and South Luangwa NP using 156 Landsat images from 1989 to 2017. We performed comparisons of fire regimes between the Lupande GMA and South Luangwa NP using various burned area variables and assessed their association with precipitation.Key results Overall, and compared with the South Luangwa NP, the Lupande GMA had a greater extent of burned area and a higher frequency of repeat burns. The Lupande GMA experienced fires earlier in the fire season, which are typically less damaging to woody vegetation. We observed a significant positive relationship between precipitation and burned area trends in South Luangwa NP but not in the Lupande GMA, suggesting that precipitation increases burned area in South Luangwa NP.Conclusions Results support the theory that human fire management mitigates climate's effect, particularly rainfall, on interannual burned area variation.Implications This study shows that human-dominated fire regimes in savannas can alter the influence of precipitation. This study analyses fire regimes in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park and Lupande Game Management Area. It examines the influence of climate and human activities on burned areas. Findings show differences in burned areas and highlight the significance of soil moisture and rainfall in shaping fire regimes in African savannas.