Dearth of the Infinite
by Suleiman Aisha Abba
The Niger Republic is a developing country in the Sahel region of Africa whose economy depends largely on subsistence agriculture. Like other neighboring countries in the region, Niger is plagued by the adverse effects of climate change. Climate change indicators like Land degradation, desertification, and rainfall variability owing to inordinate deforestation are predominant in the country.
This story focuses on an experience I had during a data collection process few months ago in Niger. Getting to meet with the people and understanding some of their concerns opened my eyes to see some of the real effects of climate change.
Dar salam, a remote community in the region will be the focus of this narrative as it has had its fair share of the adverse effects of climate change. I will expound on such consequent factors as reduced access to renewable energy and clean water, food insecurity, and I will also propose feasible measures to resolve these issues. The goal is to explore viable opportunities for people in this community, as this would ultimately result in socio-economic growth.
With an entire population of about 7000 people, access to water for sanitation and hygiene, food, and electricity remains suboptimal in Dar Salam. Zabarma is the major language spoken amongst the locals whose major occupation is subsistence agriculture.
Access to water
Having an annual rainfall between 2-3 months which is characterized by a low-intensity downpour, access to water for sanitation, hygiene and agriculture is the most noticeable effect of climate change in Dar Salam. This significantly low rainfall which begins in July and terminates in early September results in a simultaneous decline in the quantity of water trapped underground, making it difficult to access water from borehole drills. Only a single water hole having a 75m depth exists in Dar Salam. Accessing water from this water hole is challenging as most times, the combined effort of two or more men is required to successfully pull-out water to the surface.
Considering that traditional and cultural believes designates certain responsibilities like sourcing for water and home keeping to women, cases of complications amongst pregnant women are known to occur, possibly linked with the stress associated with drawing out water from this water hole. Being the most viable source of water, the water is used for practically everything during the dry season, and restricted for cooking and drinking only when other alternative sources of water are available. Sand and silt particles are active components of this water and as a result, traditional methods are employed to make the water undergo sedimentation before use. Furthermore, poor knowledge of modern water treatment techniques results in consuming the water untreated. The predominant diarrhea cases among children are likely attributable to the nature of the water consumed. This water source however dries up during the dry season.
Alternative sources of water include a pond 3 km away from the residential area. Water from this source is only available from August to September as the pond dries up in the dry season. A water tower that stores water gotten from installed solar pumps exists. This water source is currently inefficient as the lack of technical know-how and poor maintenance have led to the gradual deterioration of this facility.
Pipe-borne water is sometimes available 2 km away from the residential area. This slightly salty water comes from Madinah, a neighboring village that also supplies water to three other communities. Owing to limited supply, water is only made available for two days a week.
Food security
In a community like Dar Salam having very limited access to water, food insecurity is a major concern. Apart from climate change affecting the soils and crop yield, a lack of sufficient water to artificially irrigate the soil for planting is prevalent. The inhabitants, therefore, resort to planting crops with high resistance to adverse climatic conditions; maize, millet, groundnut, and beans are notable crops grown.
Access to renewable energy/electricity
Despite a high potential for photovoltaic energy, Dar Salam has no access to electricity. The use of firewood and coal is usually exploited as a main source of energy for cooking and heating in homes. This practice encourages deforestation, increases the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and contributes to climate change.
Possible solutions
A robust understanding of an issue is the first step towards exploring strategies to tackle it. There is therefore a need for climate change awareness amongst the inhabitants of Dar Salam as most of them are unaware of the precursors of these unfavorable climatic conditions. Disheartening to know is a misconception that these conditions are driven by the world civilization and reduced religious practices. The belief is that these problems are because their creator is unhappy with them.
Given that Africa contributes less than 4% of global carbon dioxide emission, more focus is placed on adaptation strategy rather than mitigation. These strategies are adopted to help communities cope with the adverse effects of extreme weather events and climate change. These strategies include, but are not limited to;
Construction of solar pumps with large water towers proximal to the residential area to store water from underground sources. The use of solar cells has high efficiency in this region, therefore is sustainable.
Capacity building and training programs for the youths in this community on the use and maintenance of facilities.
Provision of a standardized pipe-borne water system that would be available to the residents all year round to reduce their dependency on other communities for water.
Proximity to residential areas should be considered in the construction of these facilities to curb the difficulties associated with covering long distances.
The transition to clean energy cooking options is necessary to substitute the burning of biomass for cooking. Clean options like solar cookers should be introduced.
In crop production, improved crop breeds that are adaptable to adverse climate variations should be provided.
There is a need for government and non-governmental stakeholders to generate policies that control deforestation and ensure reforestation from the coastal regions, to ensure that rain-forming clouds could cross over to the Sahel regions.
For electrification, the installation of solar energy plants for decentralized electricity generation is necessary as access to electricity fosters economic development and improved living.
The aforementioned solutions would in no small measure improve the lives of the inhabitants of Dar Salam and bring smiles to their faces as they also would enjoy the basic needs of life like other people in various parts of the world.
About
My name is Suleiman Aisha Abba, I am a Nigerian and I am currently undergoing my Masters program in Energy and Green Hydrogen Technology under the WASCAL(West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use) scheme. I am very passionate Climate Action and the need to transition to a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable energy source, I personally feel, no one should be left behind on this journey. I am committed and love to volunteer towards community development because I derive happiness in giving back to the society in any little way I can.