Once celebrated for its resilient communities, Ghana’s Upper East Region now stands as a stark example of climate change’s mounting toll.
At the center of this unfolding story, thirty journalists recently convened in Bolgatanga for an intensive three-day training designed not only to strengthen climate change reporting, but also to shine a spotlight on the critical intersections of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) justice.
The training, spearheaded by the Belim Wusa Development Agency (BEWDA) in partnership with WaterAid Ghana and the SIDA CLIMB Better WASH Partnership, offered a sobering look at the obstacles facing the region.
Project Lead Mr. Sebastian Mbabugri Agumah painted a detailed picture for the assembled journalists: over the past decade, the Upper East has suffered a 10 to 15 percent decline in rainfall. What was once a predictable five- to six-month wet season has shrunk to just three or four months in many areas, stretching the dry season to six months and leaving wells empty and fields barren.
Yet drought is only part of the crisis. Rising temperatures have ushered in more frequent and intense heat waves, raising average temperatures by up to 1 degree Celsius, with the specter of a 2-degree increase by 2050 looming ever closer. These heat waves bring not only discomfort but also heightened health risks and disease, compounding the region’s daily hardships.
Extreme weather is now an annual ordeal. The Bagre Dam’s controlled spillage and the recent overflow of the Tono Irrigation Dam have both caused devastating floods, sweeping away roads and farmland. In the district of Binduri, fierce windstorms have ripped roofs from homes and schools, including structures. Wildfires and violent rainstorms, too, have become regular threats, stoking fresh anxieties each season.
Across the five hardest-hit districts, Bawku West, Nabdam, Bongo, Kassena Nankana West, and Kassena Nankana Municipal, communities face at least three of these climate hazards simultaneously. As drought, flood, heatwave, windstorm, and wildfire layer one upon the next, the result is a compounding crisis that imperils the region’s WASH infrastructure.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen