Climate change increases risks of droughts, floods and health problems

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Climate change increases risks in slums

“Residents of Nairobi’s informal settlements live in unsafe, overcrowded and often unsanitary housing, and lack access to basic services.” Eric Odada, African Collaborative Centre for Earth System Science (ACCESS)

Speed read

• In Nairobi, 60 per cent of residents live in informal settlements
• Climate change increases risks of droughts, floods and health problems
• Experts say partnerships with officials, residents and donors could solve issues

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The impacts of climate change pose a serious challenge to human well-being, economies and livelihoods, particularly in informal settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa, a workshop has heard.

Informal settlements are the fastest growing segment in Africa’s rapid urbanisation, with more than 60 per cent of the Nairobi population living in informal settlements, said Griffin Songole, the director of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd in Kenya.

Songole spoke during the Climate Resilience in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements workshop organised in Kenya last month (10 December) by the Kenya-based non-governmental organisation Maji na Ufanisi (Water and Development) in partnership with the African Collaborative Centre for Earth System Science (ACCESS) and the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA).

An informal settlement occurs when people create housing in an urban location without approval from officials, and has the potential to result in slums.

Read the full article: SciDevNet

Water Fund for water supply and soil conservation

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Image credit: Arthi Water

• Water Fund to benefit conservation

  “The water fund mobilises people involved in water catchment conservation to use scientifically-proven methods to maintain a green infrastructure.”

  Fred Kihara, The Nature Conservancy’s Nairobi Water Fund

  Speed read

  • About 60 per cent of Nairobi’s residents lack access to a reliable water supply
  • A new water fund is expected to increase water supply and soil conservation
  • An expert says periodic checking of water quality could help know its impact

  A new project that aims to deliver sustained water supply to over 9.3 million people while conserving the environment has been launched today in Kenya.

  The project, known as Nairobi Water Fund, has been described as the first in Africa by its implementing partners, and is expected to generate US$21.5 million in long-term benefits to Kenyan consumers, farmers and businesses.

  It is being implemented through a public-private partnership led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which has its headquarters in the United States.

  According to TNC, 60 per cent of Nairobi’s residents lack access to a reliable water supply, with the problem expected to become worse through unpredictable rainfall resulting from climate change.

  “Water funds are founded on the principle that it is cheaper to prevent water problems at the source than it is to address them further downstream,” TNC adds.

  Read the full article: SciDevNet