Climate change is intensifying water scarcity across Africa while also exacerbating droughts. Despite a brief uptick in rainfall across the continent, critical water shortages persist, particularly in major river basins such as the Zambezi.
The diminished rainfall over the past year has led to reduced river flows, triggering severe ecological, economic, and humanitarian impacts. This trend is projected to continue.
“We had a very beautiful forest, very beautiful wetlands, but because of several pressures, these areas were all degraded. By the time I grew up, I had at least seen that there was already sugarcane. However, the swamps and rivers remained intact. We used to have rain wash us every day at 2. At such a time, we should have been having rain, and then there was to be more rain. You would find we would have very few months of no rain,” said Robert Atugonza, a sugarcane farmer.
Africa’s average surface temperatures have risen steadily across all regions, with Southern Africa experiencing the highest increases. According to the World Meteorological Organization, projections indicate a rise of up to +4°C by 2050.
(Surface temperatures are set to increase across all African regions according to World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) data. © Cristina Coellen)
Rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable, with the Sahel experiencing more rainfall recently, while Central and Southern Africa are facing significant drying trends.
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