Applying Risk Assessment for Climate Change Adaptation Solutions | Arequipa Region, Peru
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Carlos Villacis, Jianping Yan, and Laura Ronkainen, Disaster Risk Assessment Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP), Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
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Arequipa is a region in southern Peru on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The area is extremely arid and relies on the Andean rivers for water supply. Due to the lack of rainsand its dependency on water from the glaciers, Peru is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. In Arequipa the effects of the changing climate are already visible; over the past half a century the ice crust covering the Nevado Coropuna volcano, providing water for 5 cities on the slopes of the mountain, has decreased by 54 %. Due to the retreat of the glacier, the region faces both severe droughts and flash floods. With agriculture as the primary livelihood on the area, Arequipa is highly dependent on sufficient water supply. The poorest people are the ones most severely affected by the water shortage. In 2008 GRIP started working in Arequipa in a joint project with the Government of Peru, the Government of Arequipa region, the local authorities of the 5 most affected cities and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GTZ at that time, now GIZ). The aim of the project was to help the people of Arequipa to adapt to the new conditions. Using the historic data of the retreat of the glacier in the past, the project developed an estimate for water availability in the future. Comparing this estimate to the water demand of the cities in the region it was possible to make an evidence-based assessment of the adaptation needs of the society. The project engaged a wide group of stakeholders in looking for solutions to the situation and developed a new water management plan for the region. As part of the project, the Ministry of Agriculture created guidelines on climate change adaptation for agriculture, including instructions for sustainable water use and cultivation of drought resilient crops. The local authorities incorporated climate change adaptation in their development plans. In order to reach long-lasting impacts, the Ministry of Education used the information generated by the project to incorporate climate change adaptation in the school curricula, produced learning materials for children and trained teachers on climate change. Games and other materials communicating ways of adapting to climate change were also developed in order to promote climate awareness in the wider society. The project also built new water management and irrigation systems, food silos and reservoirs in order to concretely assist the communities in the adaptation process. As a result of the project, the Government of Arequipa passed the developed climate adaptation strategy into a law, ensuring climate awareness in future decision making. Encouraged by the good results in Arequipa, other regions in Peru have started similar processes based on the best practices of the project. To read the whole story, please refer to the project report. |