Climate change in Tanzania:A search for water takes its toll

The British Council programme in Tanzania has launched a new book for  captivating people's attention around the world on the better understand, document and communicate the causes and effects of climate change and evidently justify some plausible adaptation measures are developed at the local levels. Although many of them are for short-term solutions.

  

Seven professional photojournalists were trained for five weeks and then sent out to record life at the sharp end of global warming.

In recent years unpredictable rainfall has reduced the availability of fresh water for the people of Namakongoro village in Lindi, Tanzania, eastern Africa.

In recent years unpredictable rainfall has reduced the availability of fresh water for the people of Namakongoro village in Lindi, Tanzania, eastern Africa.
Drought forces women to find an alternative sources of water. So far the community decided to explore the water from the  underground cave network used by rebels during the 1905 Maji Maji war.



Digging down through the sand and dry topsoil, they gained access to the caves where they found a meagre supply of brackish water.

The women walk to the caves each day to fetch water. Carrying buckets, they descend 30m on precarious homemade bamboo ladders. Filling the buckets is a long and arduous task.

This adaptation has helped the village survive the drought, but poses extreme danger and hardship for the women who are responsible for collecting the water.

 Droughts and floods are the two major extreme climate events affecting Tanzania today. In recent years floods have left thousands homeless and destroyed crops. Droughts have also had a significant impact on lives of the poor and vulnerable in the east African nation.

In six droughts seasons from 1980-2008,more than 7.96 million people were affected, losing their livestock and crops and leaving them in fear of starvation.