KENYA: Country Could Face Serious Water Shortages by 2030 If Climate Smart Water Governance Is Not Adopted
Rt. Rev. John Obala, KCCB Vice Chairman, Bishop of Ngong
Kenya could face a severe water crisis by the year 2030, a study by the Jesuit Hakimani Centre has revealed.
According to the study carried out in Garissa and Kilifi Counties, by 2030 there will be a 31 percent gap between available water supply and demand, and this is based on the current trends and national development plans.
The research shows that although the Tana and Athi River catchments are the most significant in Kenya, covering vast areas of land, they are the most vulnerable due to water catchment degradation which is increasing their risk to drought and flooding.
“As Kenyan population rises, increasing water demand in view of climate change leads to higher rates of water scarcity, thus water management is becoming an increasingly urgent issue,” the study reveals.
Following a series of consultative fora and visits to counties that directly share Tana and Athi rivers, the centre proposes a Climate Smart Water Governance: a Working Document Towards Policy that aims to improve structured inter-county shared water basins.
The proposed policy focuses on governance, utilization and conservation of water basins and its catchment areas. The process is anchored on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number six on clean water and sanitation that seeks to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The research reveals that, despite the existence of global, national, and county legislations and agreements, there still exist challenges in coming up with a clear and all-inclusive coordination framework and financial arrangements for effective management of water resources as critical ecosystems that support human life.
In his key note address during the Smart Governance Conference that took place on 11th and 12th, June, 2019 at Hakimani Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations, the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Justice & Peace Commission (KCCB-CJPC), Rt. Rev. John Oballa Owaa echoed the words of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si that calls on everyone to take a ‘swift unified global action’ to combat climate change.
Bishop Oballa, who is also the Vice Chairman of KCCB and Ordinary of Ngong, said the Pope sees Climate Change as a global problem with serious implications, adding that climate change represents one of the principle challenges facing humanity as the world is witnessing unprecedented destruction of ecosystems.
The Pope says that in addition to mitigation and adoption on the ground, there is need to call on countries that cause highest carbon dioxide emissions such as America, China and Europe to change their ways and adapt their consumption and lifestyles to the crisis that the world is facing.
“The Holy Father Pope Francis calls on everyone to take a swift and unified global action against unsustainable practices,” said Bishop Oballa.
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By Rose Achiego
