Four ways USAID is taking action on climate change through water

The global climate crisis is also a water crisis. Throughout the world, the impacts of climate change threaten the water security of regions, countries, communities, and households.

Water security means that people and nations have access to sufficient quantities and quality of water to live healthy, prosperous, and resilient lives.

Unfortunately, nearly half of the world’s population already experience some periods of water insecurity. This number could grow to more than 5 billion people by 2050.

Nearly 75 percent of disasters are water-related, from either too little or too much water. Droughts, floods, and rising seawater will reduce and contaminate water supplies, making it more difficult for billions of people to access safe drinking water, for businesses to operate, and for farms to get the water they need for crops and livestock — all of which undermine economic growth and well-being.

USAID’s Water for the World programs support our partner countries to become more climate resilient. Water security is an underlying element of the U.S. Government Global Water Strategy and USAID’s Water and Development Plan in the strategy. Because water impacts nearly every sector of USAID’s work, we’re working to strengthen water security and establish access to a sustainable water supply in the face of a changing climate. Here are four ways we’re doing this.

1. Confronting Climate Uncertainty Head On

The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries and loses up to $5 billion every year due to storms, floods, and droughts. Floods, storms, and rising sea levels that damage and contaminate water systems are forcing utilities to pay more for water treatment and infrastructure maintenance. Increased costs mean utilities struggle to maintain water services that are critical for people, businesses, and communities to survive and respond to climate shocks.

Drawing on guidance from USAID’s climate risk assessment and planning tools, USAID/Philippines helps utilities and local water authorities integrate climate considerations in water-system designs. USAID/Philippines also helped water service providers conduct financial stress tests to assess revenue loss due to the COVID-19, to ensure financial stability.

USAID has helped over over 1.86 million Filipinos gain access to climate-resilient, improved drinking water services, including over 900,000 people who live in conflict-affected areas, and over 1 million access to climate-resilient, improved sanitation services. Read more.

2. Reimagining Infrastructure

In the Dominican Republic, only 25% of households are connected to regulated wastewater and sewage services. Households with inadequate septic systems also discharge waste into local streams, rivers, and bays. Storms and flooding events mix wastewater with rainwater, which not only contaminates households and the local environment, but also facilitates the spread of disease.

Because the Dominican Republic has little space for large-scale treatment facilities, USAID supports the design of small artificial backyard wetlands to treat household wastewater. In this system, household wastewater flows through pipes into an underground anaerobic tank, specialized plants, and layers of sand, gravel, and rock that breakdown and filter out pollutants. Read more.

3. Strengthening Governance

In Southern Africa, USAID improves water security, resilience, and natural resources management in the transboundary Limpopo River Basin. This region supports more than 18 million people across Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Pollution from both poor sanitation and industries, water shortages from prolonged droughts and rainfall variability, and population growth severely limit water resources. This is detrimental to livelihoods, wildlife preservation, and food production.

The USAID Resilient Waters program addresses a range of water challenges to strengthen institutional connections and build up partnerships to address the shocks and stresses of climate change that will help mitigate the pressures on the Limpopo River Basin for years to come. USAID provides expertise on waste management within municipal governments and grants to local organizations to conserve and protect catchment areas.

USAID also builds climate-resilient livelihood strategies to create jobs and boost income, all while supporting regional water management institutions and planning processes within the Southern African Development Community. Read more.

4. Closing Financing Gaps

USAID helps cities and water utilities in South Africa mobilize greater financial resources for climate-resilient water and sanitation delivery and critical infrastructure. In 2017, severe water shortages in Cape Town threatened to bring a “Day Zero,” in which the city’s reservoirs would run out of water.

During the crisis and its post-drought recovery, USAID helped the city’s Water and Sanitation Department to improve revenue collection. The ability to collect and retain this revenue, which provides 80% of all funding for the water and sanitation sector, is key for enhancing the city’s resilience to address future crises. Through its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance activity, USAID is helping South Africa generate more than $25 million in additional revenue, which will enable Cape Town to invest in more sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure and services. Read more.

Investing in a Blue-Green Future

Climate change affects nearly everything we do at USAID. Water for the World invests in solutions that increase climate resilience and reduce climate-related risks.

Going forward, amplifying climate adaptation and mitigation within water and sanitation service is our priority. This means working with partner countries to ensure that water security and sanitation are prioritized in national climate plans and mobilizing new sources of climate finance.