Impact of Climate Change on Drinking Water Resources in Nzoia River Basin, Kenya

Abstract

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to mankind’s survival in the twenty-first century, and has a number of consequences for the Nzoia River Basin's drinking water resources, including increased dry spells, flooding associated with heavy rainfall events, degraded water quality, and changes in water demand. This study examines the impact of climate change on drinking water resources in Nzoia River Basin, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. Busia (lower), Kakamega (middle) and Trans Nzoia (upper) were the three counties chosen randomly for survey in the basin. The research was conducted from May to September of 2017. The 400 households surveyed by questionnaires were chosen using multistage random sampling. The Author conducted the questionnaire survey with the help of trained University students. The interviewers also utilized observation checklists to gather information on the households and the community. The study results revealed the climate change drivers affecting drinking water resources in the basin as changes in rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures and seasonal Lake Victoria level risings. These drivers have been reviewed and ranked in order of severity across the basin by a team of water and climate change experts through in-depth interviews and brainstorming sessions. The influence of climate change on infrastructure investment initiatives is becoming increasingly important at County and National Government levels in the basin. National and County governments in the basin should begin re-evaluating drinking water development initiatives by including climate change into infrastructure design, capital investment, service provision planning, and operation and maintenance. Most water utilities face climate change variability and uncertainty in their daily operations and long-term planning. Most utilities are starting to consider the impact of climate change on their water supplies, as well as the technical, financial, operational, and institutional ramifications. These difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that utilities have more pressing needs, such as increasing coverage and dealing with high levels of non-revenue water, all of which compete with the development of climate change adaptation solutions.