Researchers urge countries to embrace research findings on water to actionable policies
By Duncan Mboyah – Special Correspondent
Researchers have urged African countries to embrace research findings on water security to actionable policies to mitigate impacts of climate change.
Prof. Daniel Olago, Research Director at the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) at the University of Nairobi said that climate change and variability affects water cycle and leads to water scarcity and increased competition of the resource.
“Increased frequency of droughts and floods and rising temperatures poses a significant threat to water and food security in the continent,” Prof. Olago said during a meeting on water security in the Arid and Semi-Arid regions in Kitui, northern Kenya.
Prof. Olago said that universities have conducted research that when translated into actionable policies and programs by policy makers could help empower populations to cope with the changing climate.
He noted that the adverse effects of climate change calls for evidence-based advocacy engagement through collaboration between researchers and policy makers.
The don added that groundwater systems and their recharge catchments must be protected for climate resilience and water security through appropriate policies and programs since they are essential for populations that live in the drought prone arid and semi-arid regions.
He reiterated that it is unfortunate that the link between water security and climate are broadly well understood but poorly evidenced at the scale appropriate for policy practice to advance water security for the poor people in low- and middle-income countries.
Prof. Rob Hope, Prof. Rob Hope, Global Director of the REACH programme coordinated from the School of Geography and Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford observed that effects of climate change have intensified and multiplied risks in the recent past in most countries globally.
Prof. Hope stressed the need to protect water catchment areas and promote adaptive water management practices and tools for risk-based decision making.
He said that has demonstrated the required enabling environment and the need top leverage smart technologies to address lower cost of monitoring and service delivery.
The REACH program being undertaken by the University of Oxford is collaborating with the University of Nairobi to look into how water security can be achieved sustainably at different scales in varying geographic environments for the benefit of the poor, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The research conducted in Kenya, Ethiopia and Bangladesh, for close to 10 years, is expected to inform development of efficient and sustainably managed water systems to support water security for at least 10 million people.
It is also expected to deliver robust and accessible evidence on how to ensure sustainable water services for multiple users in developing countries at scale.