The earth as an interconnected system is affected by human activities and natural occurrence. Man depends on the environment in all his diverse efforts to develop and meet his basic necessities of life. Decades of man’s industrial, agricultural, commercial and manufacturing activities through various levels of technological development have impacted on the environment at different places and time. However, regardless of the specific location that these activities have taken place, there is a common and significant effect on the atmosphere and climate of the earth. The resultant of these human activities is change in global climate with rapid increase in global temperature and erratic weather patterns in other words known as climate change.
Climate change has global impact which manifests itself in our local communities. Some manifestations of climate change in the north of Ghana are erratic rainfall, drought, heat stress, water stress and floods.
The changes in the weather pattern have resulted in the erratic rainfall causing uneven and unpredictable average distribution of the rain in the northern part of country Ghana. The rain sets in late and stops early, sometimes it rains at some communities and leaving out others. This uneven rainfall coupled with the spill of the bugri dam from our neighbouring Burkina Faso results in annual floods which resulted in devastating effects resulting in people loosing their homes and farmlands.
Northern Ghana before the last two decades usually experienced rainfall season from April to October but currently rainfall season even if could be predicted at all is between June to mid September. The erratic and uneven distribution of rains adversely affects farming activities that are heavily rain fed in Tamale. This results in low yield which may in turn affect income levels and food security. “The question I ask is who are most affected by low income levels and food security” obviously women and children suffer most. Again the most affected by floods are women and children who cannot swim to live.
Drought is another manifestation of climate change in Tamale. Drought condition occurs when there is unusual scarcity of rain resulting in an abnormally dry weather condition. The impact of drought is drying up of water bodies’ especially surface water and reduction of water for farming. This results in reduced water availability for domestic and industrial uses. It also results in reduced water for livestock
We can reduce the impact of women famers by educating to adopt planting of drought resistant crops, mostly deep rooted crops. Others have resorted to using hand dug wells to irrigate their crops and also to feed their livestock. Women and children now have to walk long distances to get water for domestic others resort to rain water harvesting and storing it in a reservoir.
It is clear that prolong drought and erratic rainfall can lead to very serious water stress. Water stress is very pronounced in Tamale. I am personal victim to the water stress when I had to live my house early in the morning to the river side to fetch water before going to school. As a result I got to school late almost every day and sometimes got punished for it.
Another manifestation of climate change is heat stress, there is evidence that average temperature of Ghana has increased by one degree Celsius. This story is no different in Tamale especially during the dry season where the community experiences extreme heat. Again before the last two decades, Tamale used to experience extreme heat season from March to June but currently experiences heat from late January to early June before the onset of rains. The recent outbreak in Cerberus Spinal Meningitis (CSM) and some other skin rushes can be traced to the rise in prolonged temperature.
Our local coping strategies are roofing of houses with thatch which keeps their rooms cool. However this also comes with a price as these thatches are prone to fire outbreak during the dry season. Also people who cannot cope with the heat in their rooms sleep outside or in their compounds. This again poses danger to the women as unscrupulous young men in the society take advantage of the unfortunate situation and rape women.
Again, most of our forest cover has lost and children and mothers now have to walk long distances for fuel wood. This again poses a lot of threats to the women and children as they exposed to snake bites and unscrupulous people who take advantage of them.
Although climate change cannot be seen, it can be felt because the variability of the average whether is a glaring evidence of climate change. We are therefore making a clarion to the various stakeholders to act in order to reduce its impacts
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"when the voice of the people become so loud the government has no alternative but to listen" Martin Luther King Jnr.
Kenneth Nana Amoateng
Abibiman Foundation-http://www.abibimmanfoundation.org
International Day of African child and Youth(IDAY-GHANA)- http://www.iday.org/
Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP-Ghana)- http://www.whiteband.org/
African Youth Initiative on Climate Change(AYICC-Ghana)- www.ayicc.netFood Security Policy Advocacy Network (FoodSPAN)
Centre for Youth Development Advocacy (CYDA)
P.O.BOX BT 1 Tema.Flat 1/A 74 Site 3(OPP T.DC),Commmunit 1Tema-Ghana/African
Tel# +233-303934983/030213918/Mob:233244023651
kamoateng@iday.org/amoatengken@gmail.com
skype:nana.amoateng.kenneth
I'm on assignment to my generation.
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