Impact of Climate Change on Household Water Security and Sustainable Livelihoods in Shebel Berenta Woreda, East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted on the impact of climate variability on household water security and sustainable livelihoods in Shebel Berenta Woreda, East Gojam zone in the Amhara region. The objective is to explore and assess what real conditions characterize the area with regard to the water security status of the households and their livelihoods coincided with their income levels. The study also aims at identifying causes of water insecurity for the households, the extent to which climate variability and change affect livelihoods sustainability. The worda has two broad agro climatic zones known as the Southeast Woinadega Teff (SWT) and the Abay Beshillo Basin (ABB) Livelihood zones. To achieve the objectives a household survey was carried out by purposefully selecting three PAs in the woreda from the two livelihood zones based on their water access and availability. Sample households were selected from each PA and wealth group. The data obtained through FGD, key informant interviews and questionnaire methods have been analyzed by the applications of modern computer software mainly SPSS and MS Excel to process quantitative data and present in the form of cross tabulation, frequencies and/or percentages and graphs. The study found that many of the households are at present under great pressure of food and water insecurity dilemmas mainly due to variability of rainfall and recurrence drought episodes. The problem varies in space and time and based on the households resilience or adaptive capacity. In ABB livelihood zone, many households are in a state of low level of food and water security as compared to that of the midland households, and are highly vulnerable due to their excessive dependence on rain fed agriculture, which itself is a highly vulnerable sector. The available water sources are highly seasonal and HHs are forced travel 5-10hrs per day to collect water for home consumption and to water their livestock in the ABB Zone. Crop as well as livestock diversity is not common especially for the poor households, which is a clear manifestation of vulnerability. From the sample poor households, for example, 67.8% do not have any livestock holding and a considerable number of households harvest only one type of crop with less than 5 quintals annual yield. With regard to water access from the surveyed middle and better off wealth group households of the WSZ, 38.5% and 33.3% say that there is a critical water problem for their household where as about 62.5 % and 66.7% respectively respond the absence of any water shortage for them .Thus, intervention shall involve through: the development of ground water resources in the midland livelihood zone as a mechanism of copping and mitigation to climate change related risks and vulnerability, and must also be considered from a livelihoods perspective. Up-to-date data on water sources, water-related conflicts, and facilities to market principally transportation and communication networks must be kept for development planners and researchers. Thirdly, the geographic features and social settings of the area integrating livelihood activities mainly farming, livestock rearing, and a combination of the two attracts further research. So that it is possible to clearly identify risk and vulnerability factors and effects across the transects.