We have just returned from Sila in eastern Chad – an area that is currently so dry that it’s almost impossible to imagine that parts of it could soon be flooded. But people we spoke to warned that just weeks from now the rains risk putting some of the area under water, with remote communities cut off during the rainy season until it’s time to harvest. Chad is the most vulnerable country to climate change in the world according to the ND-GAIN index due to its hot climate, agriculture- and livestock-dependent economy and limited capacity to adapt. It is one of the hottest countries on earth and average annual temperatures have increased by over 0.5 degrees since the 1990s. Chad faces increasing desertification, water resource loss, soil and habitat degradation, as well as increasingly frequent disasters such as floods and droughts.
The people we work with see and feel this change in their daily lives. As the climate crisis gains pace, people are worried about the increasingly severe threats to their lives and livelihoods. Souleymane,* a man we interviewed as part of our research on floods and anticipatory action in Hadjer Lamis, explains:
“There have been so many changes to the environment. Before, this area was completely covered by bushes and leafy trees. Nowadays, it doesn’t rain like it used to and because of all the charcoal production, so many trees and animals have disappeared. Before, the rain was good and the land was fertile and we had enough grain to last an entire year for each household. This is impossible now – it doesn’t rain enough, and the soil is increasingly weak. The surface of Lake Chad is considerably smaller than before. The environment is destroyed – the Sahara is encroaching on us, and it is very worrying.”
— Souleymane*, Hadjer Lamis, Chad
Last year, all 23 provinces of Chad were hit by historical floods – crops essential for subsistence and income generation were destroyed, homes were lost, diseases spread, and the cost of living increased substantially. In Sila, the floods compounded a host of existing challenges: widespread food insecurity and acute malnutrition; limited access to drinking water and health services; and an influx of refugees and returnees fleeing the war in Sudan, adding pressure on local resources and infrastructure and increasing tensions between population groups.
Months after the floods, people are still trying their best to recover their losses, but as the next rainy season quickly approaches, many are worried about being pushed deeper into poverty. They are calling for better support from government and humanitarians alike, not just for this upcoming rainy season, but for the future so they can survive and thrive in a changing climate which affects agriculture and livelihoods, making populations even more dependent on humanitarian aid.
In our latest survey with 895 refugees, returnees and host communities in Sila, almost three-quarters (72%) said they felt unable to cope with the impacts of climate-related hazards, and almost half (46%) said their coping capacity had reduced over the last few years.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of people said that the humanitarian aid they receive doesn’t help them cope with climate-related hazards. And they also say it’s not meeting people’s most pressing needs in general: almost two-thirds of our respondents (64%) report that people in their communities are selling some of the aid they are receiving to buy what they need most.
When asked what they need to better cope with climate-related hazards, people had a range of suggestions. They asked for cash assistance, awareness-raising and training on risk reduction and climate change, materials to support community-led disaster preparedness efforts and investments in climate-resilient infrastructure to prevent shocks from turning into crises.
“We don’t have durable housing, which means we’re exposed to all kinds of harsh conditions and diseases. Last year, the whole camp was flooded and many houses collapsed. Those made of straw were carried away by the wind. When it rains, we have nowhere to stay.”
— Ibrahim*, Sila, Chad
As humanitarian action in Chad is hit by sweeping aid cuts, it is more important than ever to ensure that funds are invested where they will have an impact and in line with community needs and priorities. This – as always – means listening to what people need and acting on what they say.
This feedback from people living through worsening climate impacts in Sila, at a time when the humanitarian response is being cut back to basic lifesaving assistance, makes clear that “lifesaving” isn’t a synonym for basic assistance. People in Sila told us clearly that what they need to safeguard their lives and livelihoods are more flexible assistance, more upstream investment in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and more support to community-led efforts. This specific demand for crisis-affected communities is proof that access to basic services is extremely limited, and drinking water, healthcare, education, and sanitation are equally insufficient, or even nonexistent in some localities of the province. Local infrastructure is not built in proportion to demand, which increases the risk of disease and compromises social stability. Some of this falls outside what humanitarian aid can offer, but regardless of how it’s labeled, or what the source of funding is, people in Sila need better support to survive and thrive through the impacts of climate change.
People in Sila are doing a remarkable job navigating impossible circumstances and demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of a massive influx of refugees and returnees, limited access to essential services, conflict and social tensions, recurring climate shocks, and the ever-worsening food crisis and malnutrition. However, they cannot cope alone. They need support that will strengthen their local capacities, respect their dignity, and accompany them in their daily efforts to adapt to these disasters. They deserve the support of those who reach out to them wherever they are, strengthening and facilitating their efforts to adapt to a changing climate.
By Elisa Schmidt at Ground Truth Solutions, and Nisso Kaokamla at BEIRED sarl.
