WB drought resilience initiative most appreciated

-hazards. These hazards and risks affect development and remain a concern for socio-economic and sustainable development.

A drought is an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric,  surface water or ground water. A drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days.  It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region  and harm to the local economy.  Annual dry seasons in the tropics significantly increase the chances of a drought developing and subsequent bush fires. Periods of heat can significantly worsen drought conditions by hastening evaporation of water vapour.

Drought is a recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world.  

Drought affect food production and human society, so they are considered a disaster, of natural, supernatural or human cause (which itself could be supernatural causes.

The World Bank, with support from the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) together launched the Southern African Drought Resilience Initiative (SADRI) last week.

SADRI is an initiative that aims to provide tools that countries could use to better implement and coordinate drought resilience strategies within and across borders and sectors. The initiative aims to foster integrated drought risk management across the energy-water-food environment and help lay foundations for greater resilience in southern African countries to the multi-sectoral influence of drought.

Speaking at the launch, World Bank Senior Water Resources Management Specialist Anna Cestari said SADC economies are very vulnerable to climate change and drought. Cestari said these economies are mostly highly dependent on natural resources and droughts cause ecosystems degradation and food insecurity.

Research shows that the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries are vulnerable to droughts and other extreme natural and human-induced hazards

SADRI’s main objectives are to generate tools and dialogue for enhancing partnerships and capacity across SADC member states and to inform future national and regional investments in drought related activities. This project targets the 16 SADC member states and will be implemented from September 2020 to October 2022.

We need to collectively engage in how partners can jointly realise a vision for drought resilience in the region, as supported by the SADRI mission.

Research shows that urban droughts produce an imbalance of the water supply and water demand. This situation is exacerbated in water scarce cities. Droughts also cause food insecurity and famines, killing humans and decimating livestock.

It is proven that drought can lead to displacement and expansion of crop land, increasing competition with host communities and ecosystems. An increase in water demand and a decline in water reservoir levels impacts hydropower production and the economy.

The World Bank, with support from the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) together launched the Southern African Drought Resilience Initiative (SADRI) recently.  Country representative for the international water management institute’s regional office in southern Africa, Dr Inga Jacobs-Mata, facilitated the discussions at the launch. Jacobs-Mata said establishing a drought monitoring and early warning system is often considered the foundational pillar for integrated drought risk management.

Jacobs-Mata said the key messages included the need for inter-institutional and inter-sectoral coordination, the strengthening of country capacity in vulnerability and impact assessments as well as drought monitoring, and the need to strengthen policy and institutional frameworks.

Jacobs-Mata said partners and SADC member countries should think about what activities SADRI should prioritise.

These include whether the World Bank and CIWA should work with SADC member states and the secretariat to scale up an operational drought monitor and early warning system for the region, international organisation coordination or to develop clear priorities for regional and country investments to boost drought resilience.