Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources: The Sub-Saharan Africa Perspective

Abstract

This work paints a clear picture of the impacts of climate change on water resources in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and showcases that the population in this section of the continent value water as much as they value life. Deteriorating water resources in SSA due to climate change have numerous negative ramifications, such as increasing food insecurity, transboundary conflicts and rising health problems among other socioeconomic consequences. While SSA countries have contributed little to the magnitude of the global problem, they stand to bear some of the serious consequences. It is imperative that the most affected vulnerable communities with climate change be given assistance and the means to diversify their economies and develop adaptive measures to climate change. Looking beyond command and control policy and regulatory measures, emphasizing on market-based approaches falls within proactive measures that can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Despite the number of strategies that have been identified to help SSA countries cope with the impacts of climate change on water resources, no single approach is adequate to address the problems. Since many of the impacts are subjective in nature, the holistic approach via the application of integrated methods is much solicited in addressing the challenges of climate change in SSA. Therefore, shedding more light into the SSA-climate change-water resources interconnection will provide great insight to proactively address the situation and pave the way for sustainable water resource management in SSA.

Keywords: Water resources, climate change, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)