Climate Change And Water
 |
| Water is life. |
We have often heard the saying, water
is life or in Kiswahili Maji ni uhai. In many, very many
ways water is life itself. Let’s start with the human body which is about 60% water.
All life on Earth needs water for survival starting from the earthworm deriving
its share from soil moisture to the animals that live in water, to water used
for drinking and in growing crops and keeping livestock. 70% of Earth is covered by water. See the importance now?
We all need water to survive.
Climate change refers to the associated
effects on climate caused by the rise in global atmospheric temperatures
occasioned by the greenhouse effect. This rise in global temperatures is known
as global warming. In terms of water, climate change will and has already
started affecting water supply and thus demand especially surface and groundwater
recharge. It also impacts the availability, duration, timing and amount of
rainfall, snow melt as well as the quality of water.
Rising
temperatures will directly increase evaporation of surface water and increase
the ability of the air to hold moisture. The resultant effect is that some
areas will further dry out while some will receive this moisture as increased
precipitation. Extended droughts mean that some areas will suffer from lack of
enough rain which will in turn increase water demand, lessening supply and
negatively impacting sources of drinking water. Cape Town in South Africa is an example. Rainfall dependent industries such as agriculture will
also be greatly affected thus impacting food security.
Droughts (lack of rainfall)
will lead to the increase of acreage of land under deserts especially in Africa
thus compounding food insecurity.
Food security is already a problem in
some developing countries and climate change will worsen this.
Droughts leading to less volumes of
surface water will affect such sectors such as energy whereby water is used to
generate hydropower and also in thermal power plants where it is used to cool. This
is evidenced by the situation in Kenya this year where Masinga Dam, one of the major dams of the Seven Folk Hydropower Scheme is almost being closed. This will of
course lead to a hike in electricity bills and resultant effects on the
economy. In the natural world, animals that live in water bodies such as
crocodiles and hippos will be greatly affected in a multiplicity of ways, from
lack of enough water to rising temperatures affecting water chemistry.
Land animals will also suffer thirst and
will either diminish in numbers as well as invade populated areas in search of
water and leading to conflict.
Droughts also directly affect ground
water recharge which is directly dependent on rainfall. Groundwater aquifers[1]
are the main source of drinking water and domestic water in many parts around
the globe. Lowered surface water recharge also affects the volume of water
flowing into major water bodies of importance such as Lake Victoria or Lake
Malawi with the resultant effects on the communities and economy of the areas
surrounding the lake.
In its most primary and basic form, the
higher the temperatures rise, the more water the human body needs in order to
cool itself, quench thirst and regulate internal temperatures and processes. In
other words, we are going to need more water and where from?
Droughts also turn water saline because
of increased evaporation. This would affect drinking water for communities and
livestock that depend on say a particular river.
Reduced volumes of water also affect recreation
and navigation activities.
On the converse, increased precipitation
and torrential rains can cause flooding or mudslides such as in Sierra Leone. Such large volumes can easily overwhelm drainage systems, flood
sewage treatment plants and sewers, wash all manner and kind of dirt into clean
water reservoirs and render it undrinkable. This can be a public health problem
and could lead to breakouts of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, dysentery
and cholera.
Increased surface run off could carry
harmful agro-chemicals and topsoil into water bodies thus leading to harmful
algal blooms and deprivation of oxygen thus killing off marine life. Rising
atmospheric waters also warms up surface water which lowers its ability to
dissolve oxygen. This is not good for marine life.
Water quality is also affected by these
processes.
In the Western hemisphere, climate
change leads to more rain versus snow in winter and also a smaller snow stack.
It also leads to earlier snow melt. Snow melt that provides fresh water during
summer would be greatly lessened leading to water stress in affected areas.
Also, increased and prolonged snow melt from mountain ice caps means that
eventually, there’ll be less water in the long run.
Storms arising from the ocean also have
more power as a result of warmer surface water temperatures. They bring more
rain and are more intense.
Another way climate change affects water
is sea level rise . Sea level rise is caused by thermal expansion
of water already in the ocean as well as addition of water from melting ice
caps. Sea water is saline in nature. Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface
and serve to among others regulate temperatures, absorb gases and are a major
part of the hydrological cycle.
Rising sea levels will bring with them
higher storm surges, erode beaches, swallow up land and force people to move
inland as well as destroy mangrove ecosystem and dependent life. Saline sea
water will contaminate both ground water (aquifers) and surface water.
Intruding sea water will cover surface water and mix with freshwater in
aquifers leading to lack of adequate drinking water. This problem is
particularly exacerbated in island countries which depend on rainfall to
recharge groundwater which more than often is the only source of drinking water
they depend on.
Sea level rise also threatens island
countries in a more dangerous way: their very survival. Rising waters will
swallow island countries and force abandonment of these places. Entire peoples
will be uprooted and forced to migrate to higher places and in most cases this
means to other countries. What does this mean for migration and politics?
Saline water also corrodes
infrastructure.
Salt water contamination will mean
additional costs for desalination of water to make it fit for human
consumption.
Sea level rise also threatens coastal
military installations which is a threat to security
In general, climate change will affect
the availability, distribution, timing and amounts of precipitation and water availability
in general. This brings with it the accompanying effects on practically every
economic sector and general well being of the human population and the natural
world.
BUT.
Is this a manageable problem? Is there something we can do about it? Yes.
Though climate change is to a large extent unpredictable, with the available
science we can adapt and learn to better manage the resources we already have.
Israel is an excellent example, a desert country that to a large part relies on
desalination of water.
If we understand the situation, we can
be better placed to manage the present needs of our communities and countries
as well as those of the future. A lot of co-operation is needed especially in
managing trans boundary resources such as Lake Victoria and River Nile. It
starts with the simple easy steps you and I take. Switch off the tap when you
are not using it. Take short showers. Recycle water.
Household water can be used for
irrigation for example. Urban management authorities need to be more proactive
and not reactive. Repair water transport systems; don’t wait for flash floods
to show you that you were unprepared. Conserve water.
It could also mean transitioning from
rain-fed agriculture to irrigation. Better practices such as mulching and other
climate smart agriculture practices are essential.
For every young person out there, become
more involved. Plant trees and agitate for better governance. The right to a
clean environment, a safe environment is yours.
And it is for our sake, that of our
children and our children’s children that we fight against climate change.
Alright, that concludes this article and
wishing you a cool satiated existence and rest of the day.
Bye.👋
[1] A rock formation bearing
water. We normally drill into it or it shows up on the ground as a spring.
Comments
Post a Comment