By
Dr. John Chumo
Kenya just like any other developing
country in the African continent is facing destruction caused by
desertification and drought.
UN data estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over
three-quarters of the world’s population.
NECC Committee Secretary, Dr. John
Chumo and Mr. Keriako Tobiko , Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of
Environment and Forestry during a tree planting session in Baringo County to
commemorate the International Day
Against Desertification, and Drought.
The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000, as
compared to the two previous decades (WMO 2021).
When more than 2.3 billion people already face water
stress, this is a huge problem. More and more of us will be living in areas
with extreme water shortages, including an estimated one in four children by
2040 (UNICEF).
As we joined the rest of the globe in marking the
International Day Against Desertification, and Drought.
This year, the theme of the International Day Against
Desertification, and Drought “Rising up from drought together”,
emphasizes the need for an early action to avoid disastrous consequences for
humanity and the planetary ecosystems.
For decades,
water scarcity has been a major issue in Kenya, caused mainly by years of
recurrent droughts, poor management of water supply, contamination of the
available water, and a sharp increase in water demand resulting from relatively
high population growth.
The lack of rainfall affects also the ability to
acquire food and has led to eruptions of violence in other parts of the country
due to water stress and scarcity.
Despite the critical shortage of clean water in
Kenya’s urban slums, there also is a largely rural to urban discrepancy in
access to clean water in Kenya.
This is because most Kenyans rely directly or indirectly
on agriculture, when severe droughts occur, many are left to starve unless food
aid prevents a famine.
The other reason is prolonged is due to deforestation.
The largest forest in Kenya, Mau, distributes water to six lakes plus eight
wildlife reserves, and some 10 million people depend on its rivers for a living.
However, loggers and farmers have destroyed a quarter
of Mau’s 400,000 hectares.
The problem with deforestation is that it almost
always leads to increased runoff, which has negative implications in both the
rainy as well as the subsequent dry season.
According to the High-Level Panel on Water (2018), about 40 percent of the
world’s population is affected by water scarcity, with as many as 700 million
people at risk of being displaced as a result by 2030.
With the anticipated pressures on water resources and
with more intense and severe droughts predicted, a paradigm shift is needed.
Poorly coordinated “crisis management” in the face of
drought will no longer suffice. A well-planned approach that focuses on
reducing the impacts of drought is needed.
The adoption of national drought policies that are
focused on risk reduction and which are complemented by drought mitigation
plans at various levels of government will have significant ripple effects
across key sectors.
These policies support the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goal to ensure availability and sustainable management
of water and sanitation for all” – by promoting integrated water resources
management.
The vulnerability to future drought episodes can be significantly
reduced and the coping capacity of communities, even entire nations, can be
improved.
Drought monitoring and early warning systems should be
encouraged as one of the mitigation measures for droughts. With more research
and collaboration, early warning systems could reduce hunger and distressed
migration as a result of drought.
Kenya setting up an Early Warning System (EWS)
provides timely and effective information to facilitate action to avoid or
reduce the risk of droughts and prepare for an effective response.
Numerous natural drought indicators must be monitored
routinely to determine the onset and end of the drought and its spatial
characteristics.
Although all types of droughts originate from a
precipitation deficiency, it is insufficient to rely solely on this climate
element to assess the severity of drought.
Effective drought early warning systems integrate
precipitation and other climatic parameters with water information, such as
stream flow, snowpack, groundwater levels, reservoir, and lake levels, and soil
moisture, as well as a comprehensive assessment of current and future drought
and water supply conditions.
Dr. John Chumo , Executive Secretary,
National Environmental Complaints Committee
