Comparison of Communities’ Adaptation Strategies in

Kenya & CAR Catchments to Droughts and Floods

Dr. Cyriaque-Rufin NguimaletDepartment of Geography, University of Bangui,

Central African Republic (CAR)cyriaquerufinnguimalet@ymail.com

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Droughts and Floods: results of Climate Variability

• Both phenomena linked to lack or abundance of water in basins-areas, mainly rainwater anywhere in Africa;

• Seasonal phenomena and also multi-secular, but abnormal or not frequent/uncommon due to catastrophic characters i.e. damages for Communities;

• Including threshold idea: lower or higher than average rainfall /flow over a prolonged period;

• Droughts & Floods require to People to cope or adapt due to their occurrence fashion over space and time

• Due to Climate Variability/Change Impacts pose Challenges, Societal constraints04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Objectives

• To expose communities’ adaptation strategies in cases of Droughts and Floods in targeted areas;

• To analyse these strategies according to Communities’ socioeconomic capacity;

• To describe/propose some paths for sustainable adaptation

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Methods • Adaptation strategies data collected by questionnaire

and interview, mainly from people having 40-50 years and above and having resided a long time in the locality (20 to 30 years);

• Pre-testing initially carried out;• Concern was to identify the extreme events most

current affecting communities and their activities in both sites and to encircle respective adaptation mechanisms;

• Survey information’s treated statistically to establish climate variability/degradation effect through the hydrological extremes’ violence and alternatives.04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Damaging Extreme Events in Catchments• Droughts (rainfall shorten, shift in agricultural

calendar, water scarcity) • Floods

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Lake Naivasha basin

0102030405060708090

100110120

1949

1955

1960

1965

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

Scor

es

Flood Low-water level Drought

Violent storm Water scarcity

CAR catchments

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1949

1952

1955

1958

1961

1964

1967

1970

1973

1976

1979

1982

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

2000

2003

2006

2009

Sco

res

Flood Low-water levels Drought Violent storms Water scarcity

Obtained trends in areas…

Communities’ Adaptation Strategies

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CAR basins (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Moving Useboreholes

Ditchchannels

Nothing to do NGOsintervention

No response

Lake Naivasha basin (%)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Migration Dykes N/A Seek relief No response

In case of Floods…

In case of Droughts… CAR basisns (%)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Shift ofactivity

Ditch w ellsnear from

rivers

Buyingw ater

Useboreholes

Moveelsew here

farest

Nothing todo

Noresponse

Lake Naivasha basin (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Drillboreholes

Buy food Relief Fetch w aterfrom w ells

No response

Reconsidering Indigenous Strategies…

• Low cost;• Skills belonging to their identities,

aspirations;• Ignorance or failure of accurate

technological skills;• Interest to back to sources for improving or

involving development by ownership

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Expected Results from Communities…

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Lake Naivasha basin (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50

Initiate irrigation

Afforestation

Aw areness campaign

No idea

N/A

Environmental conservation

Clean w ater

CAR basins (%)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Increase boreholes and water supply network

Financial and material assistance to farmers

Sensitize and train on climate change

Enhence harness farming

Develop community's health care

Enhance schooling

Afforest

Urbanize and cleanse area

Improve sources and traditional wells

Protect water and forest aginst bushfire

Distribute seeds

Build housingss

Agricultural calendar revision

Which adaptation with lowest incomes?

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CAR catchments (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

11,11-66,67

66,67-222,22

222,22 andabove

No idea

US

D

%

Lake Naivasha basin (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

<53,33

53,33-93,33

106,67-173,33

186,67-240

>240

DK

US

D

Monthly…

Yearly… CAR catchments (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

<222,22

222,22-444,44

444,44 and above

No idea

US

D

%

Lake Naivasha basin (%)

0 10 20 30 40

< 66,67

66,67-133,33

146,67-200

>200

DK

N/A

US

D

Constraints of Adaptation in Catchments• Weakness of local Community-based Organizations or Association;• Random policy facing Extreme Events Occurrence in basins-areas.

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CAR catchments (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50

Technical assistance

Medical/health assistance

Food assistance

Given by Groups

No response

Without avis

Lake Naivasha basin(%)

0 10 20 30 40 50

N/A

Relief food

No response

CAR catchments (%)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Medical/health assistance

Build houses

Material and f inancial support

Take care

Humanitarian aid

No response

Local Organizations interventions…

Governments’ interventions… Percent

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Drill boreholes

Build foodstores

Conserve environment

Other

Provide w ater

N/A

No response

Which adaptation opportunities?• Water management Policy framework because both

targeted Extreme Events linked to Water;• What do we do? Processing from the grassroots

realities to build the different levels/scales of National policy;

• How to relocate communities from floodplain?• How to avoid communities to settle in floodplain?• Are hydraulic installations enough to reduce Extreme

events occurrence cases (Droughts & Floods)?• Let us improve this communities’ adaptation

strategies for easy ownership!04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Acknowledgements

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

•START & Partners: IDRC, DFID, AAS, ACCFP, IRA•University of Bangui;• Egerton University;• Stakeholders & Grassroots.

Thank for your attention

04/12/23 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium 2011, 9-11 March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia