Despite contributing little or nothing to the world’s Green House Gas emissions, slum dwellers are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change - especially flooding, landslides and infectious diseases due to lack of clean water.
Almost 1 billion people or 32% of the world’s urban population already lives in slums; this number is expected to rise to 1.8 billion by 2030.
Slums are defined as areas with
• Inadequate access to safe water;
• Inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure;
• Poor structural quality of housing;
• Overcrowding; and
• Insecure residential status
62% of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa are slum dwellers; ironically, many of these people have been forced off their farm land due to declining rainfall, resulting from climate change. All slum dwellers suffer from water shortage, which is defined as having less than 100L per person per day.
Recent computer modelling shows that 150 million people who live in mega cities such as Abidjan, Cotonou, Lagos, Beijing, Delhi, Mexico City and Tehran, currently endure perennial water shortage and by 2050, demographic growth will increase this figure to almost 1 billion people.
Furthermore, 30-50% less water will be available in Africa if there is a 3˚C temperature rise and this will cause water shortage for an additional 100 million urbanites.
According to the World Bank, world-wide demand for water is doubling every 21 years, more in some regions - this means that water supply cannot remotely keep pace with demand, as populations soar and cities explode.
