This Overseas Development Institute report assesses the risks of, and appraises options for adapting to, climate change in the areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in Africa. The report begins by presenting the context and relationship of WASH and climate change, including the risks and uncertainties, before discussing risk screening approaches to the issue. Risk screening identifies vulnerabilities and hazards, but deals with them in a preventative, rather than reactive, manner. In light of the inherent uncertainties faced, it is crucial some argue that planning is robust to uncertainty, e.g. that it is appropriate for a number of rainfall conditions. The authors also suggest that the issue be reframed, from climate change and WASH, to WASH governance in an era of climate change. Next, the report highlights climate trends and projections, before covering three case studies in risk analysis, both in terms of approach and the key findings. The case studies are located in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, and conclude with an analysis of emerging issues. It is clear that existing climate variability is already affecting the performance of WASH, yet all three countries face great uncertainties over how variability will change. Further, urban WASH development is clearly a priority, while rural projects are more community-based. Finally, an economic analysis of adaptation options is presented, including country examples and discussion of results. The paper concludes with three recommendations for further research and development on these approaches to risk and economic assessment:
The risk-screening approach could be developed further, for individual WASH sub-sectors. Rather than a ‘one-shot’ approach more suited for rapid analysis by a small team, an obvious delineation to consider would be rural versus urban.
The economic analysis could be strengthened, with the WASH-related damage/failure functions based on previous weather events studied in depth. With more information than could be gathered in this study, future investment scenarios and sensitivity tests could then be prepared, e.g. using different frequencies of extremes.
Topics worthy of further attention, and were absent from this report, include the risks posed by sea-level rise in coastal areas, larger infrastructure investment in water storage, treatment, and conveyance, and the indirect impacts of climate change on resources, infrastructure, demand, and access.