Climate Change: Need to diffuse proactive Adaptation

There are growing fears that Climate Change presents another manner of external shock to the poor, and one of the ways to cushion the shock is possibly through the diffusion of adaptation measures as a proactive response. This is so because a great many of the poor men and women in urban, rural and peri-urban settings base their livelihoods on ‘informal activities’—–small-scale cropping, livestock rearing, agro-processing and other micro-enterprises.

In many of these activities, an adequate water supply is a crucial enabling resource: used in, or necessary for, the activity itself; freeing time (by reducing time spent collecting water); or as a key element in improved health that in turn enables people to work. Water supplies provided to households therefore have a huge potential to impact on poverty. This is particularly true for the poorest (and for women, who are in majority amongst the poorest).

Peoples’ water needs are typically met through multiple sources- from rainwater to waste-water to piped systems. Rarely do people rely on single sources as single sources tend to be used for multiple purposes. A review that builds on this reality in designing and service delivery to respond to extant exotic realities in the climate system is desired in order to meet peoples’ needs for households’ water supplies. This therefore underscores the fact that the challenges of water availability and water quality are intertwined with the challenges of food security, urbanization and environmental degradation. They stand in the way of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The growing recognition of the serious gaps that already exist globally in access to safe drinking water and sanitation coupled with the overwhelming threat by climate change has exposed the need for innovative adaptation of appropriate technologies and measures in countries most at need. The adaptation processes need to increase the diffusion of technological innovations to the poor by highlighting how and overcoming the challenges of infrastructure and endemic traditional or cultural practices.

Adaptation actions offer a chance to decrease people’s vulnerability to the vagaries of climate change. This has become necessary because of the appreciation that existing gaps in water and sanitation services are embedded in the grinding realities of extreme poverty in regions with underdeveloped infrastructure, and in settings largely devoid of institutional mechanisms and cultural norms for fostering scalable interventions such as in Africa.

Regrettably discussions of how to address climate change have often focused far more on mitigation (reducing green house gas emissions) than adaptation (coping with the storms, floods, sea-level rise and other impacts that climate change brings). The limited discussions on adaptation have also given little attention to cities. But many cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean are at high risk from climate change- even as they (or the nation in which they are located) have contributed very little to green house gas emissions.

There is every need now to discuss how to manage the impact of climate change on Nigeria’s urban water resources because of Nigeria’s high dependence upon natural resources. This vulnerability relates to many natural and human phenomena; including climate change and variability; pollution, population growth, water scarcity; and knowledge gaps. The development of an adaptation framework for these issues are urgently needed in Nigeria as in other parts of Africa, in order to alleviate the high risks faced by the country’s ecosystems, and to inform and strengthen the coping strategies of poor urban communities who may be less capable of adapting to climate change and other risks.

No doubt, water remains the most vital for human survival. Throughout Nigeria, people are becoming increasingly affected by the degradation of water sources. Disasters from floods, sanitary pollutions and droughts are ruining the lives and livelihood of many, and have recently been closely linked with global climate change. In this context is the fact that despite the critical importance of water resources to Nigeria, there have been very few studies of the effects of global warming or its management especially groundwater resources.

The effects of climate change have already been felt in many parts of the country with the modifications of the intensity and seasonal nature of the rains, the elevation of average annual temperatures, and the increased frequency of widespread, high impact weather phenomena including drought and flooding.

Floods in particular, especially in coastal cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, and other parts of the country would still remain a major challenge because of the failure of leadership in these cities. Buildings, roads, infrastructure and other paved areas now obstruct natural drainage channels while greed have eclipsed provision for and use of parks and other open spaces as places to safely accommodate flood water from unusually serious storms. The result today is that rainfalls no longer easily infiltrate the soil- hence huge run-off. Worsening the situation is that heavy or prolonged rainfall now rapidly overwhelms most of our cities’ poorly maintained and insufficient drainage systems as those existing are full of silt and clogged with garbage.

As a cross-sectional element, water remains a central part of any vulnerability analyses dealing with climate change. Associated with drought and flood risk, water is a challenge represented by the increasing scarcity of the liquid so essential for human life. There is therefore need for the rational use of water in the broadest sense—including water saving and reuse and the recharging of aquifers etc.

In this context are the traditional problems of decaying water treatment plants and water pipes, insufficient capacity, and poor quality and quantity of water supply; lack of management capacity because of neglecting non-technical factors; weak financial structure and difficulty of new investments, because of high rate of non-revenue water, low water fees which cannot recover the costs, and over staffing, etc that are common in most water utilities in Nigeria.

A typical case is the Lagos State Water Corporation. Here, the water distribution network can only reach one in every three of the 15 million inhabitants of the city. Yet, they projected population growth of 4% per annum of the city means that the city’s water demand, will double by the year 2020. The cost of meeting current and projected demand has been put at around $2.5 billion over the next 20 years.

Generally, cities in Africa are worse hit because they do not only have limited means with which to expand the water, and maintain the quality but they also need to expand water supply services to meet the ever increasing needs of industry and to support growing population with varying distribution of population and settlement patterns in rural and urban settings. The consequence is that as the world remains on track to meeting the 2015 MDG water targets, disparities continue in sub-Saharan Africa which has the lowest coverage and is not on track for the MDG target.

There is therefore the need to cushion the shock by the diffusion of adaptation measures as a proactive response because the failure to act would heighten the risk of severe damage to the economy and other physical, chemical, and biological systems; all with severe negative consequences for Nigerians. This should start with a vulnerability analysis of the impacts of climate change and the putting in place of a viable action plan with efficient adaptation measures in every state of the country.

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3.2

A Nigerian NGO and its good works. (Part 3)

With the vastness of the Niger Delta — 187 local government areas, more than 40 different ethnic groups and 250 languages and dialects among them, about 28 million peoples, 12 per cent of Nigeria’s surface area, 13,329 settlements, with only 98 being urban centres, long coastlines and environments that are devastated; you will no doubt agree with RAWDP that to accomplish its mission is a huge challenge.

RAWDP is presently working in only 7 communities out of over 5,000 located in only 7 local government areas out of 187. This is really not enough hence underscoring the imperativeness of training and empowering the trainees and the communities to expand the water filter production within a record time.

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Kenneth Uwadi Responds to Ben Wuloo Ikara’s Response

Kenneth Uwadi formally responds to Ben Wuloo Ikara’s Response on his earlier submission “Letter to A Nigerian Militant”

Ben Wuloo Ikara in Response to an article I posted: letter to a Nigerian Militant, stated that the article has no real name of the author which is not true as my name and address were clearly written down. one tends to wonder where he got the idea of “no real name”. That someone does not know a person does not mean that the person does not exist.

In Nigeria’s Niger delta region, where large oil and gas resources are located, there are various armed groups threatening stability. These groups range from youth gangs to more organized militias While these armed groups have been involved in kidnapping expatriate energy workers, in recent months some of these groups have begun to target children—both Nigerian and foreigners—in kidnap-for-ransom schemes.There are so many cases of kidnap for ramsom. As a result, a new and alarming dimension has been introduced to the siege on the Niger Delta. Can Mr Ben wuloo tell   us  how this amount to freedom fighting. Read more

RESPONSE: Letter to a Nigerian Militant

A concerned Citizen ( Ben Wuloo Ikari ) ’s Response to: Letter to a Nigerian Militant

Dear Mr “Guest Writer”, with no real name, If America and Britain, others of European extraction were/are happy to be called “hardman,” men and ” a criminal,” criminals for raping, raping and exploiting Niger Delta, and Africa in general, and also fighting an unjust war in Iraq and other regions killing innoncent children, men and women in the name of oil and so-called democracy, then MEND (if this is the group you meant) should be happy for fighting a just cause……for self determination. Not rants from people such as you would stop the revolution. Europe and America already had theirs; they weren’t called “terrorists,” but freedom fighters.

And, I hope you’re not disillusioned by what the West called “democracy” while they wish democrazy for others. America or Britain has no democracy based on equality that is key element to the vague idealogy. A government controlled by the people as supposed to be democracy is nowhere in America where live, not to mention Britain-the rogue nation that stole African treasures and left the mother continent impoverished, and clashes due to its deliberate and devilish forcing of people together for the expansion and growth of its empire.

Take America for instance, out of hundred Senators, there is only one “black man” so-called, and that man is Sen. Barack Obama. In about two hundred and fifty years “blacks” have only been allowed to produce less than six Senators. What about the gross inequalitycrimination, sexism, and palpable RACISM ect?

Is it not shameful that lots of Niger Deltans and other Nigerian/Africans are in America and other Western nations languishing in the name of brighter future or greener pasture while we’re rich in oil and gas , uranium, gold, diamond, etc. at home, but siphoned by these same rapers of Africa and takers of all in collaboration with most disfunctional African rulers/leaders?

Did you ever bother to tell those who fought for American independence from colonial Britain and others who led Western/European nations struggle for survival what you’ve told the Niger Delta freedom fighters? Or can’t see how lopsided you are in your judgment?

I abhor violence and seriously against the rampant hostage taking and extortion in the region, however, the struggle the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) for resource and environmental control is just, and not in any manner different from the struggle of America independence and those of others-though, we aren’t demanding a separate country but a fair share of our wealth.

The so-called West knows this. The British imperialists and the slave machinary of America are aware of their impact on Africa. Therefore their claim of glorified ignorance is mischievous and hypocritical. Remember, Nigerian irresponsible government, $hell and the West collaboratively killed Abiola who won overwhelming Nigeria’s presidential election on June 12, 1993, and Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 others etc. (who demanded equity from oil production and environmental conservation, preservation or protection), for peacefully and nonviolently standing in front of shipment of oil to the West and America in particular. What education or family what are you talking about? I hope you haven’t lost your mind writing behind a ghost name.

Notwithstanding the facts above the West have more of a better government for their people but wish hell for others. Any president who wouldn’t act as stooge would be worked against, overthrown by American CIA and others or killed, like Abiola. Mr. “guest writer,” are you one of them?

Don’t get me wrong, there are numerous “whites” around the world that are wonderful with beautiful spirits, though most are racists and would remain so.

Ben Wuloo Ikari, is a Human and Environmental Rights Activist, Writer, Poet and Author of Ken Saro-Wiwa and MOSOP-The Story And Revelation.

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3.2

Niger Delta: The Burden Of Appellation.

The Niger Delta is older than the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria. But as a political force, Niger Delta is the youngest of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Her teeth were sharpened by the Abacha government, when rotational presidency was a thorny issue and consequently, South-South was born to differentiate them from the South East and position them from for a slot in eventual rotational presidency that never got constitutional blessing.

South-South, as an encompassing name for the peoples of the South of Nigeria (Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers State), did not adequately represent the interest of the peoples, whose environment have been degraded by oil exploitation. Furthermore, South-South, especially, the nomenclature South-South Peoples Assembly, was sponsored by the sitting governors of that region to anoint themselves as the sole presidential candidate. Being anchored on the ambition of the political class, the people felt alienated and the erstwhile foot soldiers of the South-South, armed by the politicians, turned against each other. To give relevance to the gang clash, these “soldiers” dusted the lukewarm struggle of the Ogoins over Shell’s abuse of the environment and gave it a broader nomenclature called Niger Delta Struggle.

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Letter to a Nigerian Militant

My Dear Militant, the major security problem that is shaking Nigerian Nation today,is the series of Nigerians and foreign oil workers that you kidnap daily as well as the series of attacks on oil facilities by you, Militant of the Niger Delta.

I guess that you must be feeling quite happy these days with so many people all over the world trying to find out why you took to Arms struggle. The World is asking why you chose to be Militant. Is it poor family background, is it economic hardship or political motivation or you just want to be called ‘Hardman’.

Some say you are fighting for a greater share of our region’s oil wealth which may have largely bypass you and ended up in the pockets of Corrupt Politicians. However, we can see that what may have been a political motivated protest has degenerated into extortion and crime. Read more

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