Submitted by guest blogger on Mon,12/18/2017

It’s no joking matter in Kenya’s Tana River Basin

 


Collecting rainwater data on the farm. Photo: Georgina Smith / CIAT

The authors of a new study about climate change impacts in Kenya have both good news and bad for the country’s vital Tana River Basin. First, the good news: Mean annual rainfall may increase by up to 43% in the course of the 21st century, though with clear differences between rainfall in the upper, middle and lower parts of the basin. And now the bad: Extreme climate events, especially flooding, will also increase. The combined effect of this news will be to make water management in the basin a lot trickier during the decades to come.

Global Landscapes Forum 2017

New findings on the hydrological impacts of climate change in Kenya’s Tana River Basin are being released at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) 2017, held in Bonn, Germany, on December 19-20. Efforts to improve water and land management in the Tana Basin are in the spotlight during a GLF session hosted by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), along with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

 

 

How Kenya responds to this challenge will make an enormous difference to people and the environment. Consumers in the capital city, Nairobi, get 80% of their water from the Tana Basin. It also delivers 70% of the country’s hydroelectric power and 35% of its total electricity supply. The basin is home...Read more

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Submitted by guest blogger on Tue,12/12/2017

Post by: Naomi Oates (Overseas Development Institute) (ODI))

These are exciting times to be working in Kenya’s water sector. The 2010 Constitution not only enshrines citizen rights to water, but has triggered a raft of reforms aimed at improving public participation and accountability in development processes. As a consequence, substantial responsibilities and funds have been devolved to newly created County Governments, including for water service provision. Local stakeholders are also becoming bolder in challenging top-down water infrastructure developments that could affect their well-being.Read more

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Submitted by guest blogger on Wed,12/06/2017

Post by: Ellie McGuire for WISE UP

As the impacts of climate change become more globally pervasive—and particularly grievous in developing nations—the subsequent need to consider adaptation and resilience objectives within development initiatives is inevitable. Accordingly, in addition to more conventional forms of economic aid, climate finance plays an increasingly important role in supporting the adaptation and mitigation initiatives of developing countries.Read more

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