Climate Change, Health and Water Resources by Dr Muri & Oraeki
Climate change consequences related to water resources are increasing in temperature, shifts in precipitation patterns and snow cover, and a likely increase in the frequency of flooding and droughts.
Water resources are important to both society and ecosystems as we depend on a reliable, clean supply of drinking water to sustain our health. Water is a human basic need for agriculture, energy production, navigation, recreation and manufacturing. However, many of these uses put pressure on water resources not forgetting the stresses exacerbated by climate change.
According to the UNFCCC climate change is a change attributed directly or indirectly to human activities that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. In many areas, climate change is likely to increase water demand while shrinking water supplies. This shifting balance would challenge water managers to simultaneously meet the needs of growing communities, sensitive ecosystems, farmers, ranchers, energy producers, and manufacturers.
Climate Crisis is Water Crises, Water Crisis is Life Crisis
Revamp Rave Network held the fourth session of the second online cohort training programme on “Climate Change, Health and Water Resources” on the 28th of May 2022. The session was taught by Temple Oraeki — International Development Consultant and Dr Muritala OKE, WASH Expert and Policist.
The two ways to tackle climate change are through climate mitigation and adaptation and more focus has been placed on mitigation than adaptation globally. Hence, the issue of water resources is an adaptation issue because fossil fuels are dependent on people and households.
On one hand, Climate change disrupts the water cycle in immeasurable ways, leading to either more frequent flooding or drought incidences and the impact of climate change on water resources are the increase in mean annual rainfall, increase in mean annual temperature and increase in mean sea level.
On the other, climate change impacts our health. Some of the ways it does include Medical and Physical Health such as allergies, water-borne illnesses, and lead and mercury poisoning which occurs due to the consumption of infected or poisoned water organisms caused by climate change. Mental Health such as stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, PTSD, and not leaving out Community Health such as increased violence, instability, increase interpersonal aggression, decreased community cohesion and cases of drought can cause food crises because it will affect farming in that community.
He rounded up by using Lake Chad as a Case study which was once one of the largest lakes in the world. The region has receded from 33,000 km2 to 300 km2 in just two decades which has been caused by the effects of climate change, desertification, deforestation and over exploitation through damming, pollution and irrigation.
He concluded by saying we need to pay more attention to our water resources to keep our lives safe. Our water must be safe; to keep our water safe, we must take climate-friendly actions. Behind the heatwaves, food crisis and disease outbreaks is a global water crisis that urgently needs our attention.
Some impacts of climate change in relation to water include air and water temperature increase. Droughts negatively impact the socio-economic growth of Nigeria and also cause crop failures, loss of livestock and famines.
Nigeria generates a significant amount of power from Kanji Dam, with climate change causing numerous impacts on the water levels in Kanji Dam due to drought and unpredictable rainfall causing a decline in power generated that in turn affects power distribution nationwide.
He mentioned that adaptive capacity and capacity development is the ability of individuals and communities to adjust to climate change, there should be a need to be aware and access to knowledge, access to specific weather information, early warning and forecast technologies which will help farmers to readjust coping or adaptation strategies; Education and school curricula should include climate change; Alternative methods of teaching and awareness that is more effective, formation of new institutions; Public-Private partnerships that will deal more with research findings and take it to smallholder farmers to adapt to the changing climate.
He concluded by explaining Rainwater Harvesting which he defined as concentrating, diverting, collecting, storing and utilizing and managing runoff for productive use. Runoffs are collected mainly from roof-tops, ground catchments and road/footpath drainage, he further talked about the need to conserve rain treat them and take them to areas where they are needed.
