Njombe: World Wide Fund (WWF)-Ruaha Water Program (RWP) Coordinator, Mturi James said water resource competition is significantly increasing the risk of conflict between different groups of water users in the Great Ruaha River Catchment (GRRC).
He said that Climate Change (CC) is expected to further shrink the catchments and water sources which are important for the sustainability Great Ruaha River.
Mturi was speaking during the recent roundtable discussion meeting aimed at advancing the Great Ruaha River Catchment (GRRC) governance integration through Climate Change adaptation, sectorial collaboration and indigenous knowledge held at Makambako Township in Njombe Region.
He said that Climate change poses a fundamental threat to the places, species and communities hence WWF and other stakeholders are working together to protect.
“Around the globe, we are feeling the effects of climate change; our communities and Earth’s wildlife and ecosystems are being forever changed,” he said.
Extreme weather events, melting glaciers and rising sea levels all with links to climate change—are impacting communities and natural resources today.
He said that the far-reaching effects of climate change are evident: our oceans are becoming more acidic, water supplies are shrinking, agricultural yields are dropping, and our forests are burning.
Although today’s climate impacts are serious and must be addressed, still there is time to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change.
The Rufiji Basin Water Board (RBWB) and WWF’s Ruaha Water Program (WWF RWP), with support from WWF-UK and funds from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), are working together to address this concern.
One of the participants, Adamson Msigalla (74) from Mpando Village Water User Association (WUA) in Wanging'ombe District, Njombe Region shared the experiences on indigenous knowledge used to preserve and conserve the environment in 1950s and 1970s.
He said long time ago people used there tradition methods to protect the environment especially water sources and natural forests.
The old man said they used ancestral spirits and snakes to keep away people from destroying water sources and forests.
Msigalla also added that during that period land and water were enough for population because there were no water and land conflicts like today.
He said that population has grown and water uses also increased due to various economic activities, hence climate change.
Rendering to the media reports, the rapid rise in the world’s population and our ever-growing dependence on fossil fuel-based modes of production has played a considerable role in the growing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere.
As a result, global temperatures are increasing, the sea level is rising and precipitation patterns are changing, while storm surges, floods, droughts and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe.
Subsequently, agricultural production is decreasing, freshwater is becoming scarcer, infectious diseases are on the rise, local livelihoods are being degraded and human well-being is diminishing.
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