World Water Day – 22 March 2024: Rising temperatures result in more water scarcity and water-related hazards

Prof Jeff Smithers and his team at the Centre for Water Resource Research (CWRR) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) won the prestigious 2023 NSTF-Water Research Commission (WRC) Award for providing a centre of excellence for cutting edge applied and interdisciplinary research and postgraduate training in water resources research and capacity building.

They have done detailed modelling of water systems to estimate the impact of different tree species on runoff, and on the amount of water that fills up dams. Smithers is the Director of the CWRR; and Umgeni Water Chair in Water Resources Management, Innovation and Research, at the School of Engineering, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, UKZN.

Addressing climate change impacts: An estimated 3.6 billion people worldwide now live in areas that are potentially water scarce at least one month per year. According to the UN World Water Development Report 2020, this number will increase to 5.7 billion people by 2050, creating unprecedented competition among water users. Climate change negatively affects freshwater ecosystems by altering streamflow and water quality, posing risks to drinking water. The sources of the risks are increased temperature, increases in sediment, nutrient and pollutant loadings due to heavy rainfall, reduced dilution of pollutants during droughts and disruption of treatment facilities during floods. It is also likely to increase the frequency of droughts in many presently dry regions over the coming decades. This is likely to increase the frequency of flash hydrological droughts (less surface water and groundwater) in these regions. In the colder regions of the world, melting snowpack means that less water is reserved as ice, thus leading to drier conditions which affect communities that rely on snowpack to refill their drinking water supplies.

Climate change also alters the frequency and intensity of rainfall, causing significant impacts on agriculture and food production. While food stressors affect all people, women, rural communities, and subsistence farmers are disproportionately affected. In regions where basic food production and hunger are significant concerns, addressing climate adaptation is essential to reduce long and short-term threats to food security.

There is an urgent need to formulate water policies and action plans that adopt an integrated approach to climate change and water management to achieve the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. Incorporating Western and traditional knowledge systems to build climate adaptation initiatives such as protecting aquifers through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). MAR is also an effective measure for reducing the risks of extreme rainfall run-off and to store fresh water in the soil for the dry season. Conserving wetlands, which act as carbon sinks and buffers against flooding and other extreme weather events, is also an essential measure.