Climate Change and Performance of Small Reservoirs in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Abstract: Increasing evidence on impacts from climate change an variability, suggests that poor rural communities in semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa need to adapt in order to reduce effects on their livelihoods. In semi-arid areas characterized by high poverty, small reservoirs even though most of them are performing below average, act as important assets that support a wide range of livelihoods. However, in the face of climate change and variability it is not clear how and to what extent the performance of small reservoir systems is affected. A lot of studies have been done on the issues of climate change and performance of small reservoirs. However, this literature has not strongly linked the two issues making it difficult to understand how climate change and variability affects performance of these water systems. In addition, there is also limited literature documenting what adaptation strategies communities using small reservoir use to adapt to climate change and variability. This study attempts to answer these questions using a multiple-case study of two contrasting small reservoirs involving a well and poorly performing reservoir in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study revealed that the unprecedented levels of benefits associated with small reservoirs in rural areas are greatly threatened by increasing climate change events such as floods, droughts and increasing temperatures. Climate change and variability was found to affect the multiple uses of the reservoirs, with irrigation being the most affected and threatened. Although the communities showed an array of adaptation measures to the harsh environment; water management strategies that should help enhance the communities adaptive capacity to climate change and variability are inadequate and ineffective. Therefore, reducing the effects of climate change and variability on the performance of small reservoirs and increasing the adaptation in communities, calls for adaptive water management strategies and integrated approaches in the management of small reservoirs. These strategies should focus on strengthening enforcement of institutional arrangements for using small reservoirs; effective resource mobilization and maintenance of reservoir infrastructure; and efficient and more improved water and land management.